Strange Duet
by MamaKnowsBest
Summary: Set after the final book: Life has returned to a semblance of normalcy and Artemis is once again attending school at his mother's request. But there is a new character added to our slightly dysfunctional gang, a girl who knows things she shouldn't. The start of a new adventure? ...(ok, my summaries suck. Please check it out anyway :)!)
1. New Girl

**NEW GIRL**

* * *

The new girl was a distraction.

Well, technically all the girls were "new"; St. Bartleby's had only become a coeducational institution in the last two months, and the decision was still widely controversial. Of course, the school's male population still greatly outnumbered the females, but no one seemed to notice. Not with _that girl _around.

The girl in question glanced back at Artemis as though picking up on his thoughts. He realized that, to an outside party, it may seem as though he had been staring at her. He scowled and dropped his eyes. This didn't stop him from hearing her clear peal of soft laughter and he noticed out of the corner of his eye that she had turned back around in her chair to talk to the girl sitting next to her. Whatever her neighbor had said must have been hilarious, because she was still chuckling a minute later when their teacher walked in to begin the lesson, a small smile curving her lips. Artemis leaned back and closed his eyes- he already knew the lecture, why bother giving his attention?

_That girl_. Viola Sommers. Something about her was just…distracting. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was, and that frustrated him even more. She was like an itch he couldn't scratch. _Don't dwell on it, _he advised himself. _Only one more week before you're home for the holidays anyway._

He snorted softly to himself. It was ridiculous that he had to leave home at all, let alone go to _school. _He'd had all the requirements to graduate from this place years ago, but Mother insisted…

"You _will _have a normal life," Angeline Fowl had said sternly. It was a few weeks after Holly and Butler and the others had brought him home and the chaos had begun to die down. "I don't care if it's only until you graduate high school. You will go, and you will do your work, and you will make friends, and you will not constantly be putting yourself in danger, and _that is final_." At that point her eyes had begun to well up and Father had tried to calm her down and what was he supposed to do then, really? Tell her no?

Perish the thought. No, no, the world may have changed a bit, but as far as his mother was concerned the basic principles of being a normal teenager had not. And so off to school he'd gone, though not without a few things to keep him entertained. A fairy communicator, for example.

He was pulled from his thought by the sound of chairs scraping back and the aimless chatter of his peers. He sighed and kept his eyes closed, not quite ready to plunge back into the painful monotony of the day. _I really should give Holly a call. There hasn't been enough saving the world lately. _Yes, he'd promised Mother to stay out of trouble, but surely there had to be a way to keep that promise and not be bored to death.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty. You gonna go to lunch or stay here all day?" A voice with a Welsh lilt intruded on his solitude.

He opened his eyes to find Viola's face just inches away. He started and she grinned, dark brown eyes sparkling.

_This _was why she was distracting. She constantly insisted on engaging him, unlike his other classmates who left him alone for the most part. He frowned at her slightly. "I was not sleeping," he informed her coolly.

She rolled her eyes and perched on the edge of his desk, swinging her feet like a child. "It was a joke, Fowl," she said, raising an eyebrow and blowing a stray lock of long, curling, dark brown hair off her face.

"Of course. How silly of me. Hilarious," he said dryly, standing.

The instant he was on his feet Viola swung her legs around so her knees were on either side of his waist. He found himself flushing and suddenly very glad that unlike most of the girls she had opted to wear slacks with her uniform instead of a skirt.

Apparently unbothered by the proximity, Viola gave him a lopsided smile and asked, "What now? I've got you trapped."

He sighed, looking up to avoid looking at her. The strangest thing about this girl was that she seemed to have no ulterior motives. At first he'd been suspicious of the casual way she talked to (and touched) _everybody_, but after having several classes with her over the past few months he'd begun to see that it was just the way she was. "I would appreciate it if you would let me pass, Miss Sommers."

She _tsked_ at him and muttered, "Always so serious," but pulled her legs up onto the desk to give him room. He nodded and attempted to leave at the same time she jumped off the desk, consequently crashing into him.

"Oh-" She laughed and grabbed the edge of another desk to prevent them both from hitting the ground. Artemis realized he had grabbed hold of her waist automatically to steady her and quickly let go. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she said, still laughing while her eyes danced with easy self-mockery.

Despite himself, he found a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "It's…fine." Though he usually found her to be a slight annoyance, there was something utterly charming about her in that moment.

"Oh my God." Her eyes went wide with feigned shock and she covered her mouth with a hand. "Is that a _smile_? Is Artemis Fowl s_miling_?"

The smile disappeared and he stepped sharply around her. "Good day, Miss Sommers."

There was a soft sigh behind him and a murmured, "Good day, Master Fowl."

As per his usual routine, Artemis took his lunch in a rather secluded corner of the school cafeteria, away from the aimless chatter of his classmates. For about five minutes, there was blissful quiet. Then the chair next to him scraped against the ground as it was pulled out with no warning and a veritable hurricane of teenage female plopped herself into it.

"Hey," Viola said easily, as though this was a daily routine. She didn't appear to have food with her, which seemed odd, but he didn't really waste time dwelling on it.

"What are you doing here?" he asked shortly, not caring if he seemed rude. Surprising moments of charm aside, this girl was a puzzle that he couldn't solve and it irritated him.

"Well, now, that's a loaded question, isn't it?" she said airily, waving a hand above her head. "What am I doing here, let's see- well, I'm living, for one. Living on this great big blue marble spinning through endless blackness. Kind of amazing when you think about it, really. If you're talking about St. Bart's, I'm supposed to be getting a _decent_ education, but that can have all kinds of definitions, can't it? And if you mean "here" as in at this table…"

He gritted his teeth. She seemed to make a hobby out of being infuriating. "Yes, that is what I meant," he practically growled, surprising even himself at his tone. _Pull yourself together. _

"Oh, _that_." She grinned at him. "Just thought I'd stop by to chat, that's all."

He blinked at her, utterly bemused. "Chat," he repeated as though the word was alien. She nodded, still smiling. "_Why_?"

She shrugged, scooting her chair closer. "Because I'm curious," she answered simply, meeting his eyes.

Now, Artemis considered himself to be quite good at reading people, and for the life of him he could see no dishonesty in Viola Sommers. She seemed to really mean what she said- she was curious. "About what?" he asked cautiously, eyes never leaving her face.

"Oh, lots of things," she said casually. "Psychology, computer programming, the idea of the perception of colors, why a raven is like a writing desk, and why exactly it is that you, Master Fowl, have a fairy communicator in your pocket."

For a moment he swore his heart stopped. How could she _possibly _know that? Something of his thoughts must have shown on his face, because Viola's smile widened and she leaned in to murmur, "Perhaps we could talk somewhere a bit more private?"

* * *

**AU: Sooooooo, what'd ya think? Honest opinions, but no flames please. I will probably continue this, but if people just don't like it then I won't bother :)**

**P.S. Sorry this was so short, think of it as a sort of test run. Other chapters will be longer, promise :)**


	2. A Few Calls

**A FEW CALLS**

* * *

**AN: Just realized I never put a disclaimer up 0.0 Oops… Okay, so I own nothing except the general idea and Viola Sommers. Phew. Now that's done with, I won't be repeating it**

**Oh, and thanks so much to everyone who followed/reviewed! You guys make me feel all warm and fuzzy. Hope this lives up to your expectations!**

It took approximately eight minutes to get from the cafeteria to St. Bartleby's well groomed courtyard, and in Artemis's opinion that was seven and a half minutes too long. This girl knew about fairies, knew that he was in contact with them, and he had no idea what she planned to _do _with that knowledge. It was a variable he was not at all comfortable with.

"You sure this is a good place?" Viola asked as she seated herself gingerly on the edge of a currently disused stone fountain. She shivered, bringing her arms up to hug herself. "A little nippy, isn't it?"

Considering it was December, that wasn't exactly surprising. He nodded sharply. "That was rather the point. No will be out here, so it's 'somewhere a bit more private'. Now." He folded his arms and narrowed his eyes at her. "Talk, Miss Sommers."

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Well aren't you intimidating. And would it kill you to call me Viola?"

He didn't say anything, but he did drop his arms without quite realizing that he was doing so. They stared at each other for a moment, warring for control of the situation. Then Viola let out a sharp breath and dropped her gaze. "Fine," she muttered, hugging herself more tightly. "What do you want to know?"

"How do you know about fairies?" he replied instantly. "And how did you know I have the communicator?"

"Well, the second one is easy." She shrugged, giving him a small half smile. "I saw you check your pocket earlier and I knew what it was- that kind of technology is pretty easy to recognize if you've seen it before."

"So how have you seen it before?" he pressed. She shivered again, violently, and he suddenly felt a little guilty. He was cold himself, but he was so intent on solving this situation that he'd barely noticed. Obviously Viola was not so distracted. With a small sigh, he shrugged his blazer off and leaned forward to drape it around her shoulders. She blinked, surprised, and looked up at him. For an instant they were close enough that he could feel her breath on his cheek. Then he pulled away and crossed his arms again, trying to ignore the strange swooping sensation in his stomach.

"Thanks," she murmured, smiling in a way that was a bit more genuine. Then she looked down at her knees and let out a long, slow breath. "Okay," she began quietly, "the brief version: a few years ago my family had a bit of a run-in with the People. Through a series of unpredicted events, I ended up in the custody of the LEP. Section Eight, if you want to be exact." A sardonic smile tugged at her mouth. "Apparently they dealt with all sorts of strange things, not just demons. Anyway, I was below ground for a few months before…well, things got cleared up. After that, they wiped me and sent me off, and I became a Ward of the State."

"Then how do you remember all this?" Artemis asked, intrigued now. If the girl was telling the truth, and there was nothing in her behavior to indicate a lie, her story was very interesting. "What triggered recall?"

She shrugged again. "Nothing," she said simply, meeting his eyes. "The wipe didn't take. I woke up in a hospital bed and I remembered everything. Well-" she amended, "at least I think I remember everything. But there's no way for me to really check that right?" She chuckled softly. After another moment where neither of them said anything, she added, "I've been trying to figure it out, these last few years. What happened, why the mind wipe didn't work on me… That's why I've been trying so hard to get your attention." She grimaced. "Sorry about that, by the way. I think I made you a bit uncomfortable. Ah well, subtly has never been my strong suit." She grinned sheepishly.

Ah. That explained some of her behavior at least. "You knew I had the communicator, that's why you kept insisting on engaging me." He nodded. Finally, some sense.

"Well, that's hardly the only reason," she said, standing. He blinked at her, confused, and a teasing sort of smile replaced the abashed one. "My God, you really haven't noticed, have you?" she giggled.

He frowned at her. "Noticed what?" There she went again, raising questions he couldn't answer.

The giggle turned into a laugh, infuriatingly charming, and she shook her head. "Nothing, it's nothing," she managed after a moment, still chuckling. She shrugged off his blazer and held it out to him as she walked passed, saying over her shoulder, "I'll give you some time to think on this, shall I? Get back to me when you've decided what to do."

He took the jacket from her and turned to watch her go, still bewildered. It was not a state he found himself in often, and he did not care for it. "Get back to you?" he asked as she reached for the door back into the school.

She tilted her head to look at him. "My number's in the left pocket. Call me if you want to talk about this stuff. Or you know, just call me." She winked, then disappeared in a whirl of chocolate hair.

Call her? The little- he reached into the pocket of his blazer and his fingers came into contact with a thin slip of paper. Pulling it out, he saw a phone number scrawled across it in barely legible handwriting. He shook his head, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth in spite of himself. He hadn't even seen her put it in. "Oh, she's good," he murmured, feeling the thrill of a new challenge rise in his chest. "She is very good."

The first thing he did upon arriving at his dorm room that evening was call Holly. She'd barely finished her "Hello?" before he jumped into the story of the strange girl and her supposed connection with the People. "You should check Section Eight's records," he finished after almost a solid ten minutes of talking. "If she's telling the truth they must have something on her. I'm sure Foaly can get the information."

"I'm sure you're right," Holly answered quickly. On the screen, her eyes were serious, but at the same time bright with excitement. He knew his best friend felt the same thrill he did at this possibility of a new adventure (even if it was not quite on a world saving scale). "I'll call him right now. He'll be mad I'm interrupting dinner, but I'm sure he'll think this is worth it." She moved as if to disconnect, then hesitated. A rueful smile twisted her mouth. "Is it bad that I'm hoping she's telling the truth? I need some excitement."

He smiled his vampire smile. It had been too long since he'd had the opportunity to do so. "Believe me, I understand how you feel."

Holly rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Oh, yes, I'll bet this girl is exciting to you," she muttered, eye glinting.

He frowned at her, not quite grasping her meaning. "Excuse me?"

Holly's grin widened. "You said she was pretty, didn't you?"

Had he? He didn't remember the words leaving his mouth, but he supposed they must have. Oh. Now Holly's meaning was very clear and he glowered at her, opening his mouth to retort. Before he could, she laughed and disconnected.

"Women," he muttered, ignoring how like an old man he sounded, and put the communicator securely away. He wasn't taking risks with that technology; despite how careful he'd been, Viola had noticed it. He wasn't overly concerned of what his classmates might think- they'd probably assume it was some sort of tablet- but if _that girl _had noticed, someone else might too. Someone not so friendly.

_Opal is dead, _a small part of his brain reminded him. _But that doesn't mean there aren't other potential enemies out there, _he retorted, then mentally rolled his eyes. Wonderful. He was arguing with himself. If he kept this up, it'd be Atlantis Complex all over again. Shaking his head to rid himself of such thoughts, he pulled out his phone (the one that only Butler and his parents had the number to) and hit speed dial 1.

There was only one ring before the call was answered with a deep, "Artemis. Is something wrong?"

Ah, Butler. Ever cautious. "I don't think so, old friend," Artemis assured him. As quickly and concisely as he could (no need to mention how Viola looked) he explained the situation.

"Hm." Butler said as soon as his charge paused to take a breath. Then, "I'm heading to the school."

Artemis bit back on a sigh. "I appreciate what you are trying to do, but-"

"But nothing," the manservant cut him off. Artemis blinked. It wasn't often that Butler was so sharp. "What I am trying to do, Artemis, is protect you. Which is in fact my job, you may recall. And I say this girl is a potential threat."

Artemis sighed, knowing when it was futile to argue. He was many things, but foolish had never been one of them. "Very well. When shall I expect you?"

"Maybe an hour."

He frowned. "Where are you? You're supposed to be at the manner." It would take more than an hour to get from Dublin to St. Bartleby's.

Butler let out a noise that was almost an exasperated sigh. "Juliet is in town. I was picking her up from a friend's place."

"Hey, Arty!" That was Juliet. She must have been in the car with her brother.

A fond, if slightly rueful, smile tugged at his lips. "Tell her I said hello. The boys will be excited to see her."

"Will do. Be careful until I get there." Butler ended the call.

With nothing to do but wait for Holly to call him back, Artemis sat on the bed with a sharp sigh. "Viola Sommers," he muttered, tapping his fingers on his leg and frowning slightly. A true puzzle. What had she meant that her family had "run in" to the People? And if she really had been in the custody of Section Eight, why hadn't she been properly monitored after her wipe to make sure it would take? And why _hadn't _it taken? Artemis knew there was always a rare chance, but it was miniscule. Microscopic. And if she really had been with Section Eight when she said, that would have been after Foaly was working as their technical consultant. Much as he loved to goad the centaur, his technology was rarely faulty… Most intriguing.

The fairy communicator buzzed, bringing him back to the present. In a flash he answered the call. "Holly? Have you found anything?"

"Oh, we found something." It was Foaly himself who answered, rather than the elf. He seemed to have snatched the communicator and squeezed Holly out of the screen. "Unbelievably, this mud girl is telling the truth. I never would have thought it, but the records are all here; Viola Sommers, under custody of Section Eight due to "unusual circumstances". That's all there is about _why _she was there, but there is some extensive stuff about her stay. Apparently she was under Vinyáya's jurisdiction. I can't believe I didn't know about this, Artemis."

"I can't believe _no one _knew," Holly interjected, shoving her way back into view. "According to what Foaly found, just Vinyáya and two other officers even knew she was in Haven."

"And it wasn't easy finding those records, believe me," Foaly jumped in again. "After Vinyáya's death, no one had access. Well, officially at any rate." He gritted his teeth, making Holly wince.

"But why isn't she under surveillance _now_?" Artemis asked. "That's protocol isn't it? And she's been walking around with fairy knowledge in her head for years. That's a huge security threat, Foaly."

"Don't we know it." Holly again. She seemed to have wrested control of the communicator back. "Apparently, there was a bit of a crisis around the time she was released back to the surface. Something about an island dropping back into this time." She raised an eyebrow meaningfully and Artemis couldn't stop the smile that flashed across his face in response. "Anyway, once things had calmed down enough to get an agent on her, she seemed to have completely assimilated. No sign of residual memories at all. That's what the report says anyway."

Artemis sucked in a breath. "Clever," he murmured, "very clever. She knew blabbing would only get her a straightjacket, or worse, so she decided to keep her mouth shut and see where that got her."

"Is that- _admiration_ in your tone?" Foaly asked, eyes going wide.

Holly chuckled. "You should have heard him earlier. Apparently this Viola is "quite pretty"."

Artemis felt his ears grow hot and scowled, clearing his throat. "_Anway,_" he said pointedly over his friends' chortling. "What do you suggest we do about her?"

Foaly sobered. "I suggest you find a way to get her somewhere I can talk to her. Maybe run a few tests. See why the wipe didn't take. And of course, we can get more information out of her at the same time?"

Artemis frowned. "Run a few tests? She's not a lab rat, centaur."

"Of course not," Holly said quickly before a quarrel could start. "But we need to figure this out, Artemis. You said it yourself, she's a security risk."

He sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. "Then what do you propose I do? Invite her home for the holidays?" he said sarcastically.

Silence. Holly and Foaly exchanged a look that said _Not a bad idea, when you think about it. _Holly turned back to the screen. Her one blue eye glinted. "Actually…"


	3. Home for the Holidays

**HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS**

* * *

"No offense, Holly, but that is a terrible idea."

Artemis closed his eyes and let out a long breath through his nose. He had known this was coming the second he'd told Butler Holly and Foaly's idea. The manservant and his sister weren't exactly allowed on school grounds without express permission, so Foaly had rigged a quick "conference call" on the communicator. Needless to say, Butler was less than thrilled about the idea of bringing an uncleared, potentially dangerous girl literally into the Fowl family living room.

"Oh, no offense taken," Holly replied lightly. "But I think you're wrong. Just consider it for a second. The girl will be under constant surveillance, what could she really do?"

"Do you want the short list, or the long?"

"Oh, lighten up a bit, Dom." Juliet cut across her brother. Everyone listening almost flinched at the use of Butler's first name. They all knew it, but they rarely heard it. "Besides, isn't this exactly what Madame Fowl wanted?"

That recaptured Artemis's attention. "How so?" he asked, frowning.

"Well, she wanted you to be a normal teenager," Juliet replied. "Isn't this something normal teenagers do? Bring friends home for the holidays, that kind of thing."

Foaly snorted. "Yeah, a completely normal friend who for some inexplicable reason is unaffected by fairy mind wipes."

"Close enough," Juliet said casually.

"I don't see many other options," Artemis interrupted, trying to bring the conversation back on track. He leaned forward and steepled his fingers, brow furrowed in thought. "We cannot simply allow Miss Sommers to roam about with the knowledge she has. In all honesty, Holly's plan is the most logical course of action. As she said, we can keep her under surveillance, find out why the wipe didn't work and, ultimately, correct the problem and wipe her again."

Butler let out a long sigh, the breath crackling over the line. "Very well. But I want a Butler watching her at all times, and you are never to be alone together."

"Well, I think Madame Fowl will be enforcing the second one at least," Juliet piped up. "You can hardly expect two teenagers to behave properly." There was a laugh in her voice and even Butler chuckled.

Artemis closed his eyes again. "I feel that I should be offended on basic principle," he muttered.

"Great, that's settled then," Holly said, clapping her hands.

"Not quite," Foaly interjected. "He still has to talk to the girl." Then he whinnied a laugh. "Our little plan hinges on Artemis convincing a girl to come home with him. I don't like our odds."

"The more you make those jokes, the less amusing I find them," Artemis said coolly and terminated the connection. "I'll call Mother," he told the Butler siblings, switching their link to his phone.

"What will you tell her?"

"The truth," he said after a pause. "I think in the long run lies have never helped our family."

"That…is very mature of you, Artemis," Butler said slowly. He sighed. "I'm still not happy, but I suppose this _is _our best option. Call me when you need picked up." He hung up.

Artemis stared at the phone for a long minute, trying to muster the courage to dial. With a sharp breath he hit the button, waiting tensely for someone to pick up.

"'Lo?"

An indulgent smile spread across Artemis's face. "Beckett. Hasn't mother asked you to answer the phone properly?" He tried to sound stern but couldn't quite manage it.

His little brother sighed, then said, "Hello, Fowl res'dence. Beckett talking."

Artemis's smile widened. "Very good. How are you, Beckett?"

"Okay." The young boy sounded lively and distracted. "Myles thought up a new game."

"Oh? What kind of game?"

"He sees how fast he can figure out the code on the house locks and I hold him down until he tells me," Beckett answered promptly.

_That can't be good. _Slightly concerned- Myles and he were cut from the same cloth after all- he asked, "How many codes has he figured out?"

"Some." Beckett sounded rather disinterested. "We got into the kennel and let the dogs out. It was fun."

_Juliet would have a field day with that one. _Better deal with that later though. "Listen, Beckett, is Mother there?"

"Uh-huh. Mommy!" A pause, then, "She's coming."

He smiled again. "Thank you."

"What is it, sweetheart?" Angeline's muffled voice floated over the line.

"Artemis."

"Oh!" There was a shuffling sound as the phone changed hands. "Artemis, darling! What is it? You haven't called in a while."

"I know, I'm sorry," he responded immediately. "I wish I was just calling to say hello, but I have something to tell you…"

Angeline took the news much better than Artemis had expected. She listened to his story calmly, and when he explained Holly's plan all she said was, "Well, I suppose we'll be having one more for Christmas, then. Does this mean Holly and your friends will be coming too? Oh, I should let your father know."

Artemis blinked. "Ah- I'm not sure about that, but- Mother, are you sure you're…okay with this?"

"Oh, of course, dear," she answered easily. She let out a small breath. "I'm not thrilled about the potential for more- shall we say _shenanigans_- but I understand. And I'm glad you're being _honest_ with me."

Well. Right for the guilt. Angeline Fowl did not pull punches. "Yes, Mother," he murmured, slightly chagrinned. Then he sighed, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Now I suppose I just have to inform Miss Sommers."

His mother laughed. "Oh, dear. Love, perhaps _invite _rather than _inform_? Speaking from experience, most young women do not enjoy being ordered about."

"Right. Of course." A poor choice of words. "I'll call you when we have a more solid plan."

"Alright. I love you."

"I love you too." He hung up. The thought of what he had to do loomed up in front of him and he gritted his teeth. "D'Arvit."

* * *

"I'm sorry- am I hearing this right?"

Artemis rolled his eyes. He had called Viola and requested she meet him in the courtyard again so they could discuss a plan of action, then waited for her. It had taken nearly half an hour for her to arrive, but despite that she had neglected to find appropriate clothing for the weather. Once more she was without a coat, and shivering frantically.

"For heaven's sake," he muttered, exasperated. "We can go back inside, it's too cold out here-"

"No, I'm fine," she interrupted. And she did appear to be; eyes bright, cheeks flushed, tapping her foot with impatience. Of course, all of that could be attributed to the cold as well. "Honestly, I'm too nervous to notice it, really."

He blinked. "Nervous?"

"Well." She gave him a droll look. "If you're inviting me to your place, I can only assume it's to keep me under surveillance of some sort. Maybe you want to test me, find out why the wipe didn't work on me."

She really was sharp. Of course, he hadn't thought she'd accept the offer on dumb faith. "Yes," he said levelly, meeting her gaze, "That is true. But I should tell you that if you don't come willingly my friends may feel the need to use force." It was a carefully calculated threat. If he'd read her wrong, even the slightest bit, she would bolt. And then there would be real trouble.

"No need to get pushy." One side of her mouth curved up in a sarcastic half smile. "I'll come. But I have a condition."

He'd expected that too. "Answers," he offered, raising an eyebrow. "You want answers about what happened to you. About the People."

Her eyes widened briefly, then she nodded. "Yes." She sighed, glancing away. "That's all I want. I deserve to know." When her eyes swung back to his, they were hard and determined. For some reason his chest seemed to contract for an instant. Then she held out a hand and the feeling passed. "Do we have a deal, Master Fowl?"

He took her hand, smiling his vampire smile. "I believe we do, Miss Sommers." They shook, then he pulled his phone out of his pocket and flipped it open. "Butler? Bring the car around, please."

"Wait, we're leaving now?" Viola raised her eyebrows. "Damn, boy, you do work fast."

Deciding to ignore that as he was not entirely sure how to respond, Artemis walked past her and said, "The principal has already been informed that we are beginning our holidays early, so there is no need to delay."

"Um, excuse me? May I have a minute to pack, please?" Acid practically dripped from her tone.

Without bothering to turn around, Artemis answered, "I think, Miss Sommers, that you are far too clever not to have guessed what my offer would be when you received my call. I also think the reason it took you longer than perhaps normal is because you were, in fact, packing." He stopped just inside the door to the courtyard and reached behind it, pulling out the duffle bag stashed there, then turned to face her.

To his surprise, Viola was grinning. "Oh, Artemis," she said, moving forward to take her bag. She lingered there, so close to touching but not quite, and looked up at him through thick, heavy lashes. "This is going to be _fun_."

* * *

"Well, isn't this nice?" Viola murmured as she and Artemis slid into the back seat of the car Butler had brought to pick them up.

"Isn't it?" A blond braid swung playfully as its owner turned in her seat to give Viola a smile. "Hello, I'm Juliet. You must be Viola, it's a pleasure." She held out her hand.

Viola took it, smiling in return. "Likewise. Tell me, are you two always the chauffeurs, or are you secretly going to kill me if I make a threatening move?" She nodded at Butler, who so far hadn't said a word. "You're bear is starting to make me edgy."

Juliet laughed. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about it. We'll be good to you if you're good to us. Well, mostly Artemis."

"Butler is my bodyguard," Artemis explained as they began to drive. "Juliet is his sister."

Viola whistled softly. "Seventeen with a bodyguard? You really are a busy boy, aren't you?"

Butler snorted. "You could say that." Viola grinned at him in the rearview mirror.

"I promise I won't attack your charge," she said solemnly, placing one hand over her heart. "I'll try to make myself one less thing for you to worry about."

"Forgive me if I don't take your word for it," Butler responded dryly. Viola shrugged, undaunted.

"I'll just have to win you over I suppose. I really am devilishly charming." She flashed a grin and Juliet laughed.

"I hope she's as nonthreatening as she says. I like her."

_Unbelievable, _Artemis thought, observing. _Barely fifteen minutes in the car and already she's almost got Juliet._

The rest of the ride passed in a similar vein, Viola using her infuriating charm and asking as many questions as apparently popped into her head: What was the manor like? Did Artemis's family know she was coming? Did they know about the People? What sort of tests were they going to run on her? She wasn't much into the idea of being an experiment, so kindly no mazes, please. Oh, and how had Juliet and Butler gotten involved with the family?

At one point Artemis caught Butler's eye in the mirror and the Eurasian man raised an eyebrow. He nodded wearily in response; yes, she was always like this.

"Miss Sommers," he cut across her chatter and she turned to look at him questioningly. "We shall need to know a bit more about you before you arrive at the manor," he told her coolly.

She raised her eyebrows. "I assume you already checked what I told you, so you know I was telling the truth."

"Yes, but the records my…associate uncovered have so far not yielded the detail one may have hoped to find," he answered promptly. "I'm afraid a little more information is required."

Viola leaned back and folded her arms. For the first time her expression was completely serious, and Artemis felt a shiver run up his spine. Not many people could accomplish that. Eyes flinty she said, "And I'm afraid that's not the way this is going to work. Answers for answers, that's the deal. I'm not telling you anything until I get some real information."

Their gazes locked and the tension in the air thickened considerable. Once again they were battling silently for control, but this time the girl wasn't backing down so easily. Looking into her eyes, Artemis had the sudden feeling that he was staring into a bottomless well. _She's seen something, _he realized, _something most humans never identify. Something dark. _Slowly, very slowly and almost unwillingly, he let his eyes drop.

Viola let out an almost imperceptible breath and he glanced up to see her turn to stare out the window. Cold winter light lit her face and for a moment her fair skin and dark hair seemed ethereal- ghostly. Then the car turned onto the main drive and her eyes widened, life springing full onto her face. "Oh my lord," she whispered.

Artemis smiled, just a little. "Welcome to Fowl Manor," he said, looking out the window at the approaching gates. "Home."

* * *

**AN: ok, so I promise the next update will have more actual plot 0.0 **

**BUT, unfortunately, I'm not quite sure when that next update will be...my free time is taking a downward spiral, but I'll do the best I can, pinky swear! Alright, please bear with me, and I hope you enjoyed :)**


	4. Viola

**VIOLA**

* * *

Viola got out of the car and just stared, letting out a low whistle. "That," she murmured to herself, "is a big ass house."

She heard a soft chuckle and turned to see Juliet leaning against the passenger door. "Isn't it?" the older girl asked, eyes glittering. Viola felt a smile tug at her mouth; she might come to like this one.

"Right." The deep growl of a voice sent all her fight or flight instincts into overdrive. Careful not to let it show on her face, she turned again to face the bear, Butler. She flashed him the cheekiest grin she could muster.

"Yes, sir?"

He didn't seem amused. "Is someone coming to interrogate her, or are we going below?" The question was clearly not aimed at her, but his eyes never left her face.

_Two can play at that game. _She wasn't about to back down either- her smile never faltered.

"Holly says she'll be here in a few hours. Until then-" Artemis stepped around to face her, blue eyes unreadable. As usual. That strange, predatory smile slipped across his face. He gestured grandly toward the house- _manor- _and said, "May I invite you in, Miss Sommers?"

She rolled her eyes, telling the tiny portion of her brain that commented on how cute that old-timey-gentleman ting was to shut up. "Seriously, dude. Viola. _Please. _"Miss Sommers" is making me…itchy."

His brow furrowed for a moment in apparent confusion. Then he turned and walked toward the manor door, followed quickly by the bear and his sister. "Really, people, let's keep the chatter to a minimum," she muttered under her breath as she followed. Her natural caution, born from years of experience, forced her to take in everything around her: the sprawling grounds, the scattered building that she assumed were kennels or stables or the like, the manor itself. It really was a beautiful building, she had to admit. In fact, she realized she was even a little excited to see the inside.

S_top that, _she scolded herself as the door opened. _Keep it together. You know better- _"Whoa."

She couldn't stop the small exclamation from slipping out. If Fowl Manor was impressive outside, it was full on intimidating within. She could practically _feel _the history in the walls of the place, soaking into the air. _This house must have a lot of ghosts, _she mused, looking around in awe.

Then the strange, eerie aura of the place was shattered with a childish shriek and the sound of running feet. "Artemis! Juliet! Butler!"

She whirled toward the sound, instantly on edge, then forced herself to relax when she saw the source. Two little boys, maybe seven at the most, one with a cap of golden curls who ran full tilt into Butler's legs, the other raven haired and more sedate in his approach. Though their hair color was different, their faces were so similar they had to be twins.

"Hello, Beckett," Butler said, smiling and tousling the child's hair. Viola blinked; she hadn't known the man mountain_ could _smile like that. The child, apparently so excited he couldn't hold still, ran to Juliet and demanded to be picked up.

"You stayed 'way too long," he pouted.

She smiled at him. "Sorry, Beck, but I told you I was only going to be away for a week."

"Myles." She looked to Artemis and was again surprised to see the cold, stoic boy balancing a child on his hip with an expression of pure tenderness. He mocked frowned at the boy. "Beckett tells me you two have been up to a new game."

Myles sighed. "Beckett talks too much." Viola raised an eyebrow. He spoke like a much older child. Then his eyes, miniatures of Artemis's own, swung to her and she had to stop herself from taking a step back. Oh yes, there was a _much _older child behind those eyes. "Who is she?" he asked as Artemis put him down.

The eldest Fowl turned to her and made a small gesture for her to come forward. "Boys," he said, disentangling Beckett from Juliet's legs, "this is Viola Sommers. She'll be staying with us for the holidays."

"Hello," she said, crouching to be closer to their level. "It's nice to meet you." Myles nodded at her in a way she could only describe as regal. Beckett, on the other hand, came right up to her to put his face in hers, staring at her with clear, childlike determination. She froze, suddenly unsure. She'd never been particularly good with children. "Err…"

"I like her," the little boy declared, returning to his twin's side. He looked up at Artemis. "She's pretty. Do you like her?"

Viola covered her mouth with her hand as Artemis blanched, his mouth opening but no words coming out. _That is a very good question, _she thought, looking up at the boy through her lashes. Fortunately for him, he was saved by a melodic call of, "Artemis? Is that you?"

Viola stood to see a woman gliding down the ornate stairs. Her eyes widened fractionally. _Wow._

"Mother." Artemis embraced the angel that alighted in the foyer, smiling the first real smile Viola had ever seen on him.

"Darling." His mother looked him over, then gave a short laugh. "I know I was the one you said you should go back to school, but I think I'm reconsidering. I miss you."

Artemis looked like he may have liked to reply in kind, but a glance he threw in Viola's direction made her think he didn't want to express sentiment in front of her. "Mother," he said instead, bringing her forward, "This is Miss Sommers."

"Viola, please," Viola said as she cautiously held out her hand. "It's a pleasure, Madam Fowl." She wasn't quite sure if that was the right title, but "Mrs." Seemed too informal for this place.

Artemis's mother smiled gently. "Oh, dear, Angeline is fine."

Viola smiled slowly in response. He nodded her head once at the woman let go of her hand. Angeline's eyes went to the bag slung over her shoulder and she exclaimed, "Oh, goodness, let's get you settled in, shall we?"

"Ah-" Viola panicked slightly. This was _not _what she had been expecting. But the lady of the house put an arm around her shoulders and led her briskly toward the stairs.

"I'm sure this all seems like a bit _much _to you, but you'll get used to it," she said as she steered Viola down a hallway. Usually very observant, Viola found herself reeling to get her bearings. Angeline continued, not seeming to notice the girl's discomfort. "Of course, the family all knows why you're here, but I'd appreciate it if we toned it down for the twins. Heaven knows they've had enough to adjust to lately, what with… Never mind. Ah, here." She came to an abrupt halt and Viola almost staggered, feeling suddenly dizzy.

_She's not human, _she thought, bewildered, as Madam Fowl pushed open a door and ushered her through. "This will be your room for the holidays," she said breezily, crossing to pull back the curtains and let the winter sunlight filter through. "Put your things where you'd like, and I don't mean to rush you but you should probably be back downstairs in ten minutes. My husband and I will have everyone in the parlor, so meet us there. Oh-" She turned and fixed Viola with suddenly very serious eyes. "I wouldn't try anything…_untoward_ if I were you. The room is bugged. And-" her voice dropped and for a moment the girl swore her eyes flamed- "you _will not _harm my family. In any way. Am I understood?"

Viola stared, for the first time in a long time a little afraid of another human being. Butler was intimidating, but he was nothing on a protective mother. She took a swift breath, then replied with total honesty, "I have no intention or desire to harm your family. I just want answers, that's all."

"Very good." The smile was back, and once again she was thrown off balance. "I'll be downstairs then." Angeline vanished through the door.

Viola collapsed onto the edge of the bed, putting her face in her hands. "Unnnghh," she groaned, rubbing her eyes. _What have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Viola finally managed to find her way to the parlor. "This house is ridiculously large," she said promptly upon entering.

The occupants of the room looked up. Artemis was lounging- well, as much as someone like him _could _lounge- on a chair near the door, a book open on his lap. Butler stood at his shoulder, his eyes snapping immediately to Viola. Angeline and a man who was Artemis with a few gray hairs and crowsfeet sat on a sort of chaise near the window. This _had _to be Artemis's father.

Angeline chuckled softly. "Sorry. It may take a while for you to learn your way around."

"I may need a map," Viola muttered. She wanted to edge into the room like a scared mouse, but managed to straighten her spine and walk to the center of the carpet with a bit of a deliberate swing to her hips. "Sooooo…" She rocked forward on her feet and held out her hand to the elder Artemis. "I'm Viola Sommers, sir. Thank you- and you-" she nodded to Angeline, "for letting me stay here."

He smiled, laugh lines crinkling around his mouth and eyes, and took her hand. "A pleasure, Miss Sommers."

"Viola," she said automatically, then added to his wife, "I'm sorry I didn't thank you earlier. I was little- flustered."

She laughed lightly. "I'm sure you were, dear."

"Well." Artemis Senior rose to his feet. Viola noticed a slight hitch to the movement. An old injury maybe? Something to do with his leg. Whatever it was, it was almost imperceptible. "I hate to be rude, but I really only wanted to meet you before this- whatever this is with you and my son and fairies gets started." He winked at her and confided in a mock whisper. "To be honest it's all a little over my head."

Viola giggled, finding herself warming up to him. _With parents like this, how come Artemis has such a stick up his-?_

"We'll go find Juliet and the boys," Angeline said, rising as well. "They're probably playing somewhere in the gardens- I hope they remembered coats."

Butler smiled at her. "Juliet won't let the boys catch cold, ma'm."

"Yes, of course." But she sounded a little distracted. "Come on, love." She glided through the door, feet barely seeming to touch the ground. Her husband followed, pausing briefly by Artemis's chair.

"I'm glad you're home, son," he said warmly.

Artemis gave him a small smile. Again, Viola found herself taken aback by the expression. It made him actually look his age. "As am I," he replied.

His father clapped him on the shoulder, then left.

Silence. Viola looked from Artemis to Butler, and they looked at her. She swayed gently from side to side and popped her lips. "Ooooooookay," she said slowly. "So, what now?"

"Now, Miss Sommers-" Artemis leaned forward, placing his book on a small table in front of him and steepling his fingers in front of his face. "We talk."

It was intended to be a bit intimidating, and Viola had to admit that it was, especially with the man mountain next to him. But she simply quirked an eyebrow and raised her hand, examining her nails. "Strange, I thought I heard someone talking to me," she mused aloud, spreading her fingers wide and raising her hand above her head.

She heard Artemis grit his teeth and had to suppress a grin. Oh, this _was _fun. "_Miss Sommers._"

"There it is again!" she exclaimed, bring her hand to her mouth and widening her eyes. Pointedly not looking at the boy in the chair, she addressed Butler. "Do you hear that?"

The manservant furrowed his brow, obviously not quite sure what her angle was and unwilling to proceed without more information. Artemis sighed loudly. "Viola."

"Oh." She met his eyes, grinning. "It was _you_! Silly, all you had to do was use my name." She thought she hear a snort of laughter, but by the time she looked back to Butler his expression was taciturn once again. _Mark my words, big bear, _she swore internally, _I _will _make you crack._

"Sit, please." Artemis waved at the chair across from himself. Slowly, a little warily, she sat. her eyes flicked to the book on the table between them and a smile crept across her face.

"_The Subtle Knife_?"

He quirked an eyebrow. "Problem?"

She shook her head, laughing softly. "No, no, I just- I never would have pegged you for fantasy."

"Miss Sommers- _Viola_, it seems that my life is fantasy," he muttered, leaning back. "Besides," he added reluctantly, "I've read almost everything else in the library."

Viola's eyes went big. "You have a library?" The second the words left her mouth she mentally rolled her eyes; _of course _they had a library, she'd seen the house.

He frowned, bemused. "Yes. But that is not what I wanted to discuss with you."

She sighed, folding her arms and sitting as tall as she could. "I know what you want to talk about, and I already told you- answers for answers."

It was Artemis's turn to sigh. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temple. Vindictively, Viola hoped she was giving him a headache. "I understand your reluctance-"

_No, you really don't._

"But we're going to need a little faith on your part."

"Faith." Viola stared him down. "What reason do I have to give it to you? For that matter, what reason do you have to give it to me?" This whole situation was crazy; they knew next to nothing about each other- why was she doing this again. _Because it's the best lead you've had, _her sensible self chided. _You've been looking for a year. Something is better than nothing._

Artemis was staring at her, eyes serious and inscrutable. Then, for just a moment, she saw a flicker of something in them. Something like recognition. His eyes suddenly changed, decisive, and he reached up to touch something around his neck.

"Here." He pulled out something from below his shirt, a gold medallion on a modest necklace. She blinked. Not something she would have expected. He held the medallion in his palm and she saw a small hole in the exact center. She looked up and realized she had subconsciously leaned forward; she was only a few inches from Artemis's face as they both leaned over the necklace. Her heart jumped spasmodically and she flinched back at the same moment he did, feeling her cheeks heat. This was ridiculous. She did not blush.

There was a soft rustling of cloth, then: "Take it."

She looked back to him, startled, and saw he was holding the necklace to her. She blinked, staring at it. "Why?"

He shrugged. "I know it doesn't seem like much, but- it is important to me. Think of it as insurance. Hold onto it until you get the answers you want."

Hesitantly, she reached out, feeling the cool metal against her palm. They were frozen like that for a moment, the necklace suspended between them. Then, like a window blown open or a dam suddenly breaking, he relinquished control and it fell into her hand. She just stared at it for a moment, watching the light dance across it. "What is it?" she asked softly.

There was a long pause. She expected an answer like _a memento, _or maybe _a gift, _or probably no answer at all. What she did not expect was an almost whispered, "Me."

She looked up and brown eyes met blue. _Sadness, _she thought hazily. _But- kindness too. Real kindness. Huh. Who'd have thought? _She closed her fingers around the medallion. "What do you need to know?"

"How you came to be in the custody of Section Eight, for a start," he answered, sitting back in his chair. Butler shifted his weight, eyeing her strangely.

She let out a breath, staring at her knees. "My family- well, my brothers and sister really- we…aren't really normal. We didn't grow up like this." She gestured around vaguely, indicating the manor itself. "We were all orphans. Throw aways, kids no one wanted, or just couldn't handle. There was a- a man, he found us and gave us a home, one by one. I was first. I mean, it was like a fairy tale-" she smiled bitterly- "no pun intended. One day I was sleeping on a doorstep, the next I had a four poster bed. A week later I had two brothers, and a month later I had a sister. And the man… he wasn't exactly a father to us, but it could have been worse. There was this _something _about him thought, something not quite right." She sighed, remembering. "We could all tell, but we just didn't care. To go from hungry to never having to worry about your meals, from freezing to sleeping under a down cover every night-" She chuckled a little bitterly. "I guess you wouldn't get it. Anyway, we knew something wasn't right with Doctor Niklos-"

"Doctor Niklos?" Artemis interrupted. She glanced at him and saw he had leaned forward intently.

"Ah, yeah," she said. "That was the guy's name. At least, the name he gave us. Probably an alias, I don't know. He was short, like, four foot something, and he was always talking about magic like it was real."

"A fairy," Butler rumbled. Viola nodded.

"An elf," she said. "Of course, we didn't know that. But then, one day I was sick of him, sick of the-" she stopped herself, nails biting into her palms. _No. Stop, not that. You can't talk about that. _"Just sick of him," she whispered. "So I snuck into his lab- it was in the basement, code locked and all, but Connor and I figured it out and got in. We found this- this control panel thing that had all this facts and figures and messages about the People, and we realized it was all true. I found a passage on the LEP and tried to get in contact, tried just hitting buttons on anything that looked like a communicator, but it didn't seem to work. Then Niklos came down, and he was so angry…" She shivered. Shouting. Silver tools flying as the tray was knocked aside. White hot pain in her arm. "I told Connor to get the others and run," she said quietly, closing her eyes. "I practically shoved him out the door, he didn't want to go." A smile tugged at her lips even as her eyes began to itch. "Idiot," she murmured fondly. "Anyway, that's all I remember before- before I blacked out. When I woke up, the lab was full of Section Eight officers and Niklos was gone." She looked up at her audience. "That enough for you?"

She could see in Artemis's eyes that he knew she was hiding something. But she could also see that he believed what she had said was the truth. "Your…family," he said slowly. "Do you know-?"

She shook her head, blinking furiously to hold back tears. "No," she said, proud of how steady she kept her voice. "I haven't seen them since then. Honestly, that's what I want answers for. Everything was so confused when they dumped me back on the surface, and then I was stranded, I had no way to contact the People, and that was my only lead on finding them." She looked up suddenly. "I just want to find my family, Artemis. That's all."

Suspicion warred with sympathy in his gaze. Then, slowly, he let out a long breath. "I…can understand that," he admitted quietly.

_Beep-beep. Beeeeep._

"Oh." He blinked and Viola started at the sound, then he reached for his pocket and pulled out his phone. He glanced at the screen for a second, then said, "Butler, perhaps you should stay here with Miss Sommers while I go welcome our guests." He stood.

Viola stood as well, too keyed up to care about "Miss Sommers". "Guests?" she somehow managed to keep how nervous she was out of her voice.

"Yes." He met her gaze. "Some People who are very interested in meeting you. And who, I believe, can help you."

"Help…me?" she repeated slowly, not quite understanding.

"Of course." His hand moved toward her slightly as if to touch her shoulder, then he made a fist and dropped his arm. Looking her in the eyes, he said quietly, "You have my word, Viola, that we will help you find your family."

* * *

**AN: Sooooo, Viola's point of view, whatddya think? Love it, hate it, let me know :)**


	5. Secrets Kept

**SECRETS KEPT**

* * *

Artemis was having a hard time focusing. Viola's story spun around and around in his head; she wasn't telling them everything, he was sure of that. But she also hadn't lied. He'd relied this conviction along with the story itself to Holly when she arrived shielded at the front door.

"Hm." The elf had tilted her head and she spotted back into the visible spectrum. "More than meets the eye with this one, huh?"

He'd nodded wearily. "You have no idea."

Now, some half an hour later, their little group of two teens, a bodyguard, and a fairy had been relocated to another room of the manor, a smaller one, with a nice clean wall Holly could use to set up a projection so Foaly could be a part of the interrogation.

"So, this is the Mud Girl?" were the centaur's first words once the situation was introduced.

"Viola." The Mud Girl quirked an eyebrow and turned her head slightly to address Artemis. "So, this is the pony boy?"

Holly gave a surprised snort of laughter that she quickly smothered and Foaly seemed to be suppressing an offended whinny. "Wonderful," he muttered to himself. "Just what we need. Another smart-"

"Anyway, this is the information Butler and Artemis have received from the girl so far," Holly cut him off, and proceeded to relay the story. Viola sat in silence, eyes on her hands in her lap. This was the reason Artemis couldn't seem to focus; he kept glancing at her, trying to figure out just what she wasn't telling them. But the only thing that seemed odd- aside from the fact that she wasn't talking a mile a minute- was her right arm. She continually reached for it, subconsciously rubbing her forearm from her wrist to just below her elbow. _Like a phantom itch, _he mused. She'd done that when she was talking earlier as well; he didn't think she even realized it.

"So let me get this straight," Foaly said, bringing the boy pack to the present. "You're willing to let us interview you and figure out why exactly a highly sophisticated mind wiping system apparently had no effect on you, in exchange for our help locating your foster siblings."

Viola looked up. "Yes, that's about it."

The centaur sighed, shifting his weight. "Well, it's not an unreasonable deal. I'll start running a systems search now, in fact; I'll need some info on these kids."

Viola stared, her eyes starting to shine just a bit. "R-really?" she whispered. Artemis almost started at the desperate hope in her voice. It struck a chord inside him that he didn't entirely understand. "You're going to help me?"

Even Foaly seemed uncomfortable by the display of raw emotion, despite how small it was. "Ah, yeah. I mean, it's not doing any of us any good having these kids running around with fairy knowledge. So- descriptions? Names, date of birth, something?"

"Oh. Oh, right, of course." Viola took a breath and once again was the devil-may-care girl Artemis had come to know. "I'm not sure what good names will do you, we all picked our own. Connor Kellen, blond, green eyes, kinda fair and freckly, he'd be fifteen now. Elizabeth Albright, sorta mocha colored, hazel eyes, curly black hair- probably kinda slim, she'd be sixteen. And Sam Martin, reddish brown hair, gray eyes, he's eighteen- no, wait, nineteen." She shrugged. "I'm sorry, none of us know our real birthdays, so we just picked those too. Does that help?"

"We'll see," Foaly said. Artemis could see he was already thinking of possible search algorithms. Viola's fist clenched around the coin Artemis had given her. The motion caught Holly's eye and she glanced down. Artemis saw the precise moment she registered the glint of gold and realized what she was holding. The elf looked up at him, questioning, and he shrugged. She nodded- they would talk about it later- and turned back to the projection of Foaly.

"Alright. Give us a call when you've got something then?"

He nodded. "Sure. Then we'll deal with Miss Sommer's bizarre brain."

The girl narrowed her eyes at him. "Viola," she said with some emphasis. "And I prefer _unique_."

"Tomato tomahto." The centaur terminated the link.

"Well," Holly said after a moment, leaning back. "That's that then." She turned to Viola, giving the girl an officer's once over. Well, perhaps it should be called a twice over, as it was the second time she had done it. "Thanks for your cooperation."

Viola smiled sardonically. "You're welcome, though I'm not sure how much of a choice I had." She let out a breath through her nose and stood, stretching her arms above her head.

Artemis's eyes widened fractionally. The sleeve of the girl's shirt pulled down slightly as she stretched, revealing the edge of a piece of silvery skin. An old scare. Her eyes flicked in his direction and for a fraction of a second their gazes met. She froze, then lowered her arms quickly, wrapping them around her middle.

"Thanks for…helping me," she muttered, and moved to the door. Butler glanced at Artemis questioningly: should he go with her? The boy nodded fractionally and the giant manservant followed the girl out. Holly and Artemis heard her half amused sigh and a muffled, "Are you to be my shadow then, big bear?"

Holly smirked. "Bear? Oddly fitting."

Artemis rolled his eyes and Holly laughed softly. "If she irritates you that much, why did you give her the coin?"

"She needed a reason to trust us," he answered, looking at the door, "I gave it to her."

Holly nodded slowly. He could tell she knew there was a bit more to it than that, but she wasn't going to say anything. Her hazel eyes stared into him. Then, suddenly, she stepped forward and hugged him. He had gotten taller since the last time he'd seen her; her arms barely reached around his middle. He froze for a moment, surprised, then awkwardly returned the embrace.

"It's good to see you, Arty," she said when she pulled back, smiling at him.

He smiled in return. "The feeling is very mutual. Remind me why we never seem to just hang out?"

She chuckled. "Because there's always some plot afoot?" she offered.

He raised an eyebrow. "'Plot afoot'? If I didn't know better, Short, I'd say I was rubbing off on you."

She made a face at him and thumped his stomach playfully. "Maybe you are, gods help me." Then she turned back to her equipment and began packing it back up. "I've got a few weeks on this case, thanks to Foaly and his finagling. Your mother offered to let me stay here, so I guess we'll be seeing more of each other." She flashed him a grin that he reciprocated.

"I'm glad," he said truthfully. Before either of them could say anything else, there was a muffled clash from somewhere outside the door. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Excuse me, would you?" he muttered. "I believe I should handle that."

* * *

_That _turned out to be an extremely contrite Viola, attempting to right a small table and vase she must have bumped into in a medium sized room just off the parlor. Butler was valiantly trying to help, but she kept shooing him off with admonitions of, "My mess, I'll clean it up."

Artemis stood in the doorway, unsure if he should be amused or exasperated. Finally Viola managed to return everything to its proper place and straightening, turning to see him and giving a small yelp of surprise.

"Christ!" she exclaimed, one hand flying to her chest. She scowled at him. "Don't you make any freaking _noise_?"

"Yes," he replied calmly, stepping into the room. "However, I believe you were a bit occupied." He cast a look at the table. "How did you manage that, anyway?"

Butler snorted and Viola switched her glare to him. "Wasn't watching where I was going," she mumbled.

"It seems your guest is- how shall I put it? A klutz," Butler offered.

"Only when I'm not paying attention," Viola put in quickly. Artemis had to bite down a laugh. It was not something he would have expected of her, but now that it was pointed out it made sense. He'd never seen her move without every motion being apparently deliberate. A tendency to "klutziness", as Butler put it, explained that.

"Oh, don't give me that look." She waved a hand at him crossly. "I could still kick your ass- hypothetically speaking," she added quickly when she saw Butler's warning look. Then she straightened her shoulders abruptly and murmured, "Oh!" She approached Artemis a little cautiously- of course, he doubted anyone else would have been able to perceive the caution- and held out her hand. The medallion was resting in her palm, glinting softly. "It seems like my answers may take a while in getting here, so I thought I should give this back to you." She met his eyes and her voice lowered. "It really does seem important."

Artemis was a little surprised. There was something in her eyes that made him think of a frightened animal offering a token of trust. He wondered how often that trust was given, and how often it had been betrayed. He reached forward, then closed her fingers around the coin.

"Perhaps…you should hold onto it," he said softly, keeping his eyes on hers. A small smile tugged at one corner of his mouth. "I am not in the habit of breaking my word, Viola."

There was a flash of surprise in her eyes, then- maybe?- something like gratitude. "Alright then," she said, pulling her hand back. A smile flickered across her face. "Hey, you called me Viola without prompting. Maybe someday I'll even get you to _Vi_. Won't that me a miracle." She winked at his sour expression and reached up and placed the necklace over her head. The coin slid against her skin, slipping just below the neckline of her shirt

Artemis tilted his head slightly, watching it. Strange, it almost felt like she really did hold a part of him…

"_Eh-hem. _Um, Artemis? I'm flattered, really, but…"

At her voice he realized where he was staring and immediately snapped his eyes to her face. She was smirking slightly and he felt his face heat. "I- eh… I wasn't- I mean I didn't-" Butler seemed to be struggling not to laugh and he shot his bodyguard a glare.

Viola, however, showed no such restraint. She let out a full, clear laugh that rang through the air around them like a chime. "Oh, it's alright," she giggled, putting one hand to her mouth in a gesture Artemis was beginning to associate with her. "Really, I was just teasing. But _God_ you're cute when you blush."

It took a great deal of effort to keep his mouth from dropping open. Even Butler seemed slightly taken aback. But before any of them could say anything a familiar voice called from the hall, "Artemis? The boys want you to come to the stables."

He turned quickly, glad of the rescue, to see Juliet and the twins approaching. He bent slightly to get closer to his brothers' level. "Sorry, boys," he said, _willing _the heat in his face and neck to die down. "I've got a bit of unpacking to do, but I'll be out later." They pouted at him and he straightened up, saying, "In the meantime, why don't you take Miss Sommers with you? You could show her the house a bit while you're at it."

That cheered them up. "Okay," Beckett agreed easily, taking the girl's hand and pulling her along. "We should show you outside first, because outside it bigger than inside…" Myles followed after, rolling his eyes at his twin. Juliet made to go with them, then hesitated.

"Are you alright, Artemis?" she asked, frowning. "You look a little red."

Now Butler did laugh, shaking his head when his sister gave him a questioning look. Artemis glowered at both of them. "Oh, shut up."

**xXx**

The walk to the Fowls' stables wasn't long, but it was cold enough outside that Viola found she was having a bit of difficulty breathing by the time they reached the building.

The twins seemed to share her sentiment, noses red and eyes bright. "Hurry, Jules," Beckett demanded as the blond pulled the doors open.

"I'm hurrying, keep your pants on." Juliet ushered them all through and closed the doors carefully behind her. "Well," she said, putting her hands on her hips and looking around. "Here we are."

Viola took a breath and smiled. Maybe it was weird, but she had always loved the smell of a stable- a clean one anyway. The place wasn't huge, big enough to hold maybe a dozen horses, and she could hear sleepy movements on either side of the aisle between the stalls. "How many are there?" she asked, moving forward.

"Seven." Myles was the one who answered her, coming up on her left.

"Two boys and five girls," Beckett added from her right.

"They're called mares and stallions," Myles corrected him, then himself: "Well, actually one is a gelding."

Viola smiled at them. "Can you introduce me?"

They beamed at her, Beckett more easily than his brother. "C'mon," the blond boy said excitedly, grabbing her hand and tugging her toward the first occupied stall. "This is Nanny," he said as a grey mare stuck her head over the bottom half of her stall to greet her visitors. She was a bit on the small side, and Viola could tell she was getting on in years, but had a proud head and build.

"Her real name is Nanette," Juliet told her as she approached the stall as well. "She's the most easy-going, so the boys usually ride her."

"Hello," Viola said softly to the mare, greeting her as horses do by blowing into her nostrils. Nanny returned the favor, delighted to finally meet a human who knew some horse manners, and Viola giggled. "Oh, you're beautiful," she crooned, stroking the horse's neck. "Arabian?" she asked over her shoulder.

"Yep," Juliet responded. "They all are."

"Come meet the others," Beckett urged, pulling on her sleeve.

"Alright, alright," Viola laughed. She gave Nanny one last pat and a promise to return soon, then followed the boys and Juliet to the next stall. In quick succession, she met General, the placid bay gelding; Layla, the spirited black mare; Rhiannon, a palomino mare and longtime companion of Angeline's; and Dream- which was apparently short for Midsummer Night's Dream, though _why _one would give any poor creature such a long name astounded her- the dapple gray who greeted them with a cheerful nicker.

"She's so cheerful, that's why Daddy likes her so much," Myles informed her.

"I see," Viola said, greeting this horse as well. Dream tossed her head and snorted, excited to meet someone new.

"Breena's over here." Beckett pulled her to the next stall. She flashed Juliet a look that was half amused, half desperate. The older girl laughed.

"Wait til you've been here a week; it gets worse," she said cheerfully.

Viola rolled her eyes and muttered, "Thanks for the tip."

"This is Breena. She's Artemis's horse," Myles told her when she straightened up.

"Breena?" Viola called softly, and an elegant, dark brown mare picked her way to the front of the stall. When Viola bent to blow in her nose, she returned the greeting delicately and with more grace than the girl would have thought possible. "Well aren't you a lady," she chuckled, resting her palm against the horse's neck. Breena bobbed her head once and swished her proud tail. Of course she was a lady, she was bred to be. "She's very pretty," Viola said to the boys. The mare practically glowed at the flattery.

"Uh-huh," Beckett agreed quickly, obviously anxious to introduce her to the stable's last occupant. "Now let's go see-"

"Maybe we should head back, boys," Juliet cut across him.

Beckett pouted. "But she _said_. She wanted to meet them."

"It's alright," Viola assured him, smiling. "If Juliet says we should go back, we should, okay?" The younger Butler shot her a grateful look and she winked.

"Pleeeeease," the little boy begged. "Just a quick look?"

Juliet sighed. "Fine, fine. But, like, two seconds, okay?"

"Okay!" He beamed and started tugging Viola off again, Myles walking more sedately at her side.

"Beckett only likes him because he's new," the miniature of Artemis informed her conspiratorially.

"Oh?" Viola raised an eyebrow as she was led to a large stall in the back of the stable. Really, it looked like two stalls have been joined together.

"Master Fowl bought him last month," Juliet told her. "But I think he's just going to sell him soon. He's too…temperamental."

"Who's he?"

Once again Myles answered. "He doesn't have a name yet."

"Ah." Their little group stopped a few feet away from the stall door. Juliet put one hand on each of the boys' shoulders.

"This is close enough," she said firmly.

Viola blinked; how bad could this horse be? No sooner had she glanced back to the stall when a flash of red filled her vision and the mighty scream of a stallion filled her ears. _Whoa. _She shrank back instinctively.

The unnamed horse was big for his breed, glaring down at them all loftily. His coat was fiery chestnut, making her think of a setting sun on desert sand. Black eyes burned into her, intelligent and powerful and- frightened. Very, very frightened. Slowly, she took a step forward.

"I wouldn't," Juliet warned her hastily. "This seems to be one of his bad days. We should just go ba…"

Her voice faded away as Viola focused on the hurting creature before her. "Easy," she said softly, letting a trickle of that extra something flow into her voice. The stallion hopped slightly on his front hooves, not quite a rear, and flattened his ears against his skull. "I'm not going to hurt you," Viola told him, keep her voice calm but maintaining eye contact. She wanted to help him, but she didn't want him to think she was submitting to his dominance.

The horse shifted nervously, screaming another challenge at her. The whites showed all around his eyes; he was terrified. All his life humans had only meant pain and misery. It would take more than a month of good care to rid him of those memories.

"These people aren't like that," Viola told him, moving forward another step. She was within arm's reach now. "Good people. Good people. Friends. _Herd_."

His ears slowly pricked forward. Herd. It had been so long…

She reached out, letting her hand hover an inch away from his nose. Behind her she heard Juliet catch her breath, but she put the sound from her mind. Lowering her head just a bit, she let out a stream of air through her nose and nickered softly. _Friendly. Meet me. Accept me. _She'd given her offer- now he had to make a choice.

For a long moment, nothing happened. Then the stallion pressed his nose into her palm and let out a long sigh, relaxing for what must have been the first time in weeks. Viola smiled, careful not to show her teeth and be seen as a predator, and let her hand slide under his muzzle so she could lift his nose to her face. She blew, and he returned the favor.

"My name is Viola," she whispered, stroking her hand up to his forelock and scratching, as a mare would do with her teeth in friendly greeting. "What shall we call you, hm?"

He snorted, tossing his head and lipping playfully at her hair. "Little devil," she laughed, pushing his face away. He whinnied in protest and lipped her ear instead. She giggled. "How about that, then, huh?" she asked him, stroking his neck. "_Shatan_. Devil. You like it?"

He neighed and bobbed his head.

"W-wha-?"

Viola winced. _Oops. Almost forgot about the humans. _She turned around sheepishly. Juliet was staring at her with her mouth open- even the boys had wide, startled eyes. _Play it off. Keep your cool. _"So…" She bit her bottom lip. Shatan nosed her in the back on the head and she unconsciously reached to pat his cheek. "Anyone else hungry?"


	6. Exploration

**Hey guys! Sorry this took so long, I've had no computer for three weeks! I promise I'll do my best not to have such long gaps in the future :)**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

**EXPLORATION**

* * *

"You should have seen it, he was like a whole new animal!"

Viola bit down a sigh at Juliet's voice, edging closer to the closed door she was eavesdropping on. After the younger Butler had brought her and the boys back to the house, ushering the twins into the care of their parents, she had hunted up her brother, Artemis, and Holly, and told Viola to wait while they talked.

She did not like being told to wait.

"Screw this," she muttered, stalking away from the door. If they were just going to talk about her like she didn't even exist, she didn't have to listen. She knew what they would say. Freak. Weirdo. Whatever, she'd heard it all before. She had better things to do.

As if to back her thought up, her stomach rumbled. "Okay," she said softly to herself, starting off down the hall. "Now, if I were a kitchen, where would I be?"

She was on the second floor, she knew that much; and she had been dragged past the room where Angeline had told her to leave her things, so there had to be other guest rooms around. She started off down the hallway- quietly, in case the little powwow heard her leaving and decided she needed to stay put. As she went she looked about curiously; all she'd really had time to appreciate about the manor before was its sheer size. Now that she really had the chance to take it in, she realized it was even more imposing than her first impression.

The hallways she picked her way down was lined with paintings of stern, foreboding Fowl faces, some looking to be at least a few centuries old. "These guys are practically royalty," she murmured to herself. For a moment that same feeling she'd had upon her arrival, the feeling of something ancient and powerful thrumming through the stone walls, seemed to take her over. She closed her eyes and drew in a sharp breath, tasting the air like a cat.

Then her stomach growled loudly and she remembered she was famished.

"Alright, alright, I'm on it. Sheesh," she muttered to her midsection, picking up her pace. She reached the imposing stairs and tripped lightly down them. Her shoes sank into the plush carpet and she briefly allowed herself to fantasize about what it would feel like on bare feet.

Then she was once again in the foyer. She paused to look around and take stock. "Maybe…this way?" she said softly to herself, moving slowly toward and open doorway to the left that led to another hall. There were two doors on her right, one on her left, then a window at the end of the hall that looked out onto the gray, wintry landscape. _Probably not the kitchen, then, _she thought with a sigh. Still… she was curious. Cautiously, she moved to the door on her right and knocked. There was no answer. She tried the knob. Unlocked. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and stepped through. Her eyes went wide and her breath caught in her throat. "Holy crap."

She had found the library.

A slightly hysterical, wondering laugh bubbled up from her chest and she gazed around. "I'm freaking Belle," she whispered, unable to think of anything but the scene when the Beast revealed the library to his Beauty. Of course, the library was nowhere near hers, but as long as she was staying in the manor she couldn't imagine anyone would mind her using it. She moved toward the first shelf she saw, one of hundreds, and let her fingers trail lightly over the bindings of its occupants.

She could stay in this room forever. Her hunger was forgotten, as well as her nagging thoughts of what the others might be saying about her. She was so absorbed she may as well have been comatose to the rest of the world.

"Hello."

Viola whirled around, heart leaping into her throat. What was _wrong _with her today? First Artemis, now this- she usually wasn't easy to sneak up on.

The fairy officer- was her name Short?- was standing in the doorway, watching her with just a hint of curiosity in her eyes. Viola stiffened. She was perfectly willing to cooperate with the People if it would get her what she wanted, but she still wasn't sure she liked them. Particularly elves.

_Vinyaya was kind, _a small voice said in the back of her head. _She wanted information from me, _she retorted to herself. _Could have tried other ways to get it though. _The thought made her repress a shudder.

"Hello?" The elf- Holly, that was it!- tilted her head, and Viola realized she'd been spacing out.

_Great, talking to myself. That's all I need. _She fought the urge to roll her eyes and offered a cautious, "Hey."

Holly gave her a friendly albeit distant smile. "What are you doing in here?"

Viola shrugged, getting defensive. "Looking for the kitchen. Exploring," she answered warily.

"Ah." Holly nodded, smile becoming a bit more genuine. "Yeah, it's a big place. I'm lucky I didn't get really lost my first time here," she glanced around the library, an odd combination of bitterness and wistfulness in her tone.

"When was that?" Viola asked, curiosity piqued.

Holly looked back to her. "Artemis was twelve, it was when…we first met."

Viola furrowed her eyebrows. "How _did _you meet?"

Holly's eyes flickered with something unreadable. "It's a long story." Viola had the feeling that was all she was going to get for now. "It seems you've caused a bit of a stir," the elf said with a raised eyebrow, changing the subject.

Viola filed away the touchiness about that meeting, shrugging. "Yeah. I guess." They were treading back toward dangerous ground, and she could feel her defenses enforcing themselves.

Holly must have sensed something because she raised her hands peaceably. "Hey, just an observation. I heard the boys were apparently very impressed with your Dr. Doolittle routine."

"Mmm." She made a noncommittal noise and shrugged again. "I've always been good with animals." Not a lie.

Holly gave her a look. "Good with animals is putting it mildly, sounds like. I'd say more like magic." She laughed softly.

An innocuous comment, one made every day, not to be taken literally. But considering who she was talking to, Viola froze up. "That's ridiculous," she said coolly, walls firmly in place. She moved to the door, giving the fairy plenty of room. "Excuse me," she said politely and practically fled the room.

_Like magic. _The words echoed in her head as she walked blindly down the hall, back to the foyer, took another turn and kept going. "I've had enough magic to last a lifetime," she murmured quietly, allowing herself a moment to pause and lean against the wall, not even bothering to get her bearings. She felt warm, too warm. This place, huge as it was, was suffocating her. She covered her face with her hands, breathing shakily. _I have to, _she told herself firmly. _This is my only shot to find them._

_-She grabbed a coffee colored arm and pulled the girl who was one year her junior back to their little group as they made their way down the street. Niklos had sent them out to get the groceries. "Watch, goof," she laughed, mussing tight curls. "You'll get lost if you wander off."_

_Lizzie grinned at her. "I'm not worried. You'll always find me, right, Vi?" She looked up at her with wide, trusting eyes. Her cockney accent came through clear, soothing to the older girl._

"_Yeah." Viola wrapped her arms around Lizzie's thin shoulders and squeezed her tight. "I'll always find you. Promise."-_

Her eyes prickled hotly and she clenched them shut. _I will, _she vowed silently, pushing herself to her feet. _I _will _find them._

**xXx**

"Holly?" Artemis was surprised to find his friend perched on the arm of a chair in the library. He'd gone to look for her- alone, despite Butler insisting on going with him- after listening to Juliet's briefing of the event at the stables. The elf had watched the younger Butler intently for a few minutes, then excused herself abruptly, giving Artemis a knowing look. Of course, being him, he immediately understood that she was going to look for Viola Sommers and get the story from the horse's mouth, as it were.

Judging by the small furrow between her brows, he guessed it hadn't gone quite as she'd planned.

Holly looked up at the sound of her name and her frown deepened. "You sure know how to pick 'em, Arty."

He raised an eyebrow as he approached. "What did she say?"

"_Nothing_," Holly exclaimed, exasperated. "I can tell she's hiding something, maybe something big, but she's locked down tighter than Mulch's jaw on the last sandwich."

Artemis folded his arms, thinking. "When did she lock down? What did you say that set her off?"

Holly shrugged. "I didn't set her off, she as mum from the get-go. But she did practically run when I said she was good with animals."

Now why on Earth would _that _make the girl touchy? Artemis frowned. "What did you say exactly?"

"I said it sounded like magic-" Holly's eyes suddenly went wide. "No," she whispered, gaze meeting his. "You don't think-?"

Theories began reeling through Artemis's head. "Her interaction with the horse does seem strangely like the gift of tongues," he murmured.

"But that's impossible." The elf shook her head. "That would make her a human with magic. That just doesn't happen."

His mouth curved up on one side. "It happened to me," he pointed out.

Holly rolled her eyes. "_You _are hardly the poster child for normalcy. Besides, you stole your magic."

"I wouldn't exactly classify Miss Sommers as "normal" either," he said mildly. He refrained from mentioning the discovery he'd made years ago on their trip back from Limbo. If humans had once held magic of their own, was it possible that some genetic quirk would allow that gift to be passed down to the present generation.

_That is speculation, not fact, _he reprimanded himself. He snapped his attention back to Holly and shrugged. "Anyhow, you shouldn't jump to conclusions. We need more information from her."

Holly snorted. "Good luck. She head back toward the foyer."

Artemis blinked. "Are you…suggesting _I _speak with her?"

The elf gave him a look that quite clearly brought to mind Juliet's frequent "Well, _duh._" "I'm not getting anywhere with her, I think Juliet doesn't quite know how to deal with her at the moment, and I can't imagine Butler connection with an emotionally distant teenage girl. That leaves you."

"Juliet-" He stopped himself before he could argue a useless point. Juliet, while easy going and likable, was hardly the epitome of "subtle" and she seemed very excited about Viola's connection with the horse. At least, she'd continuously used phrases like "amazing" and "never seen anything like it" when relaying the scene. He let out a heavy sigh, closing his eyes. "Fine," he muttered. "I don't expect we'll get anything useful out of her quickly, but I'll go look for her." Then he sighed. "Butler won't be happy though; he doesn't want us to be alone together, security risk."

Holly snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, _that's _the main problem. Don't worry, I'll calm him down."

He tilted his head at her. "You really don't think she's dangerous?" He trusted her judgment; if she thought a situation was safe, it almost certainly was.

The elf shook her head. "I never said that, but I don't think she'll hurt you."

Artemis muttered, "As long as I don't irritate her by being in her presence."

Holly smirked at him. "Oh, don't make it sound like such a chore. "Aw, boo hoo, I have to spend time with a pretty girl my own age." Poor you."

Artemis glared. "Are you going to do this for the remainder of her stay?"

She grinned. "Probably."

He gritted his teeth and marched out the door.

* * *

About five minutes later, Artemis located Viola in the second parlor off the foyer. This one was larger than the first, and contained a piano on the left hand wall. The girl was standing next to the instrument, plunking aimlessly at the keys. She looked up when he came in.

"Do you play?" he asked, taking a step toward her. Establishing her interests and using them as common ground may help him get her to open up.

She shook her head, eyes drifting back to the piano. "Not really. I mean, I can pick out a few tunes and memorize notes, but I can't _really _play. Never learned." Her fingers gently, slowly, played the first few notes of something that sounded like a lullaby.

"Mm." He was next to her now, watching her expression with the same intensity that she watched the keys. There was silence, neither of them apparently having anything to say. It was strange- he felt that the lack of conversation should make him uncomfortable, but it was oddly familiar, as if they had known each other a long time and simply didn't _need _to speak.

"You play." It wasn't a question, but he answered anyway.

"Yes." He reached out and softly trilled through a scale. She nodded, still not looking at him.

"You're good," she said quietly. "I heard you playing in the music room a few weeks ago, at break. It was just in passing, but it was beautiful." She did look at him now, eyes large and surprisingly warm. "You wrote it, didn't you?"

He blinked, a little taken aback by her perceptiveness. He immediately remembered the piece she was talking about, though he'd been unaware he'd had an audience. "Ah- yes. Well-" he added quickly, "It isn't finished yet. It needs work."

She nodded, looking back at the piano again. Very quietly, she asked, "Aren't you going to ask me about what happened?"

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye; she was too smart not to know that he and the People would be curious about her apparent "knack" with animals, or even that they may possibly suspect magic; she was too wary to freely offer information. It was a rather tricky situation to navigate, and social interaction had never been his forte.

But he gave it a go. "Would you tell me anything if I did?" he asked, just as quietly.

Her mouth twitched slightly. "Probably not," she admitted.

He shrugged, sitting on the piano bench. "Then I'll leave it alone for the moment," he said carelessly. "I'm not in the habit of pointless pursuit." He let his fingers wander over the keys, picking out pointless notes and half tunes. "What are you doing in here, anyway? I can't imagine there is anything to interest you."

She shrugged and moved back a step to lean against the wall. "Well, I was looking for the kitchen, but I ended up in the library and then somehow wound up here." She frowned at him slightly. "You really need guide signs in this place or something."

He smiled, just a little. "Come on," he said, standing. "I'll show you to the kitchen."

She grinned. "Great. I'm _starving._"

"I'm sorry, my hospitality has been lax," he said as they left the room. "We should have offered you something to eat before now."

She waved him off. "It's fine, don't worry about it." They walked in silence for a few moments more, Viola looking around and apparently trying to memorize their path. "This place feels…_old_," she said abruptly.

Artemis looked at her curiously. "Yes. It has been in the family for many generations."

She nodded, rubbing her right arm again. Artemis's eyes immediately locked on the motion, noticing that it started where he'd caught a glimpse of that scar. Then his eyes flicked to her hand and her blinked, surprised he hadn't noticed before.

Viola looked around to see him watching her and paused. "What?"

"Oh- nothing, sorry," he said quickly, eyes snapping to her face. "I just hadn't noticed- it's a beautiful ring."

"Oh." She looked down at her right ring finger, which sported a dainty silver claddagh. The two hands holding the heart were elegantly shaped, and the heart itself was a soft purple stone, crowned with white gold. "It was my mother's," she said as they started walking.

He frowned slightly, and she noticed the expression. A small, sad smile curved her lips. "Most orphans don't start out that way, Artemis."

He felt a jolt of guilt and looked away to avoid those eyes. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I didn't mean to-"

She shrugged. "It's fine. It was a long time ago."

Silence again. This time it did feel awkward. Wanting to say something, but not sure what, Artemis started, "How old were you-" then stopped, wincing internally. Maybe not the best way to get her to open up.

"Seven." She wasn't looking at him. "I was nine was Niklos found me."

"Oh." Curiosity burned under every inch of his skin, but he beat it down. "Here we are," he announced instead as he pushed open the kitchen door.

Viola, suddenly bubbly again, bounced around him into the room. "Thanks!" she said, grinning. Her eyes glinted at him, all dark seriousness forgotten. The sudden change threw him slightly, so it was a moment before he nodded a polite response.

"Of course," he said with a small, polite smile. She'd given him plenty to think about, and he needed some time and quiet to absorb and analyze it. "Oh, Mother wanted me to tell you dinner will be at six thirty. Feel free to roam around until then."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Your big bear won't be upset I'm loose on my own?"

Artemis had to fight a smile at her nickname for his bodyguard. "I can handle it," he assured her. _Well, Holly and I._

"Great." Her smile was innocent. _Too innocent,_ he thought as he walked away. She was unpredictable certainly, but not dangerous. Not really. Right?

Perhaps he shouldn't have left her in a room with knives.


	7. To Trust, or Not to Trust?

**TO TRUST, OR NOT TO TRUST?**

* * *

Dinner that night was a rather…unusual affair. Even for Fowl Manor. In addition to the Fowl's themselves and the Butler siblings (not uncommon guests at the table, admittedly), Viola Sommers and a certain elven officer also claimed places. Despite Holly and Artemis's long- if slightly complicated- friendship, he only then realized that she had never actually eaten a meal with his family. Butler had not been happy about his disobedience of the "never alone together" rule and so conversation on that front was a bit chilly. And Viola… Well, she was Viola.

"It seems you made quite an impression on the boys today," Artemis Senior said to the girl about halfway through the meal.

Viola looked up from politely picking at her plate. "Oh. Um, I suppose so."

He smiled at her. "I'm not going to bite you, lass. I was just wondering if we could hear the story from a more direct source."

She shrugged. "I'm not sure that there's much to tell." Juliet snorted softly. Viola either didn't hear or chose to ignore it. "I've always had a…knack with animals."

"Is that so," he mused, obviously sensing there was a bit more to it than that. He glanced toward Artemis and father and son shared a quick, knowing look. "Well, in any case," he continued casually, picking up his glass, "I'm glad I won't have to sell the poor creature. Seems as if he's never had a decent owner, I really didn't want to possibly ship him off to someone worse."

Viola looked down at her food; Artemis noticed a flash of something he couldn't identify in her eyes. "He's been hit a lot," she said quietly. "Around his eyes and ears, mostly. That's why he's so sensitive about his head. And there's an old scar on his hindquarters, I think from a blade. He just needs a gentle hand, someone to trust."

The table had gone very quiet, except for Beckett's soft humming as he played with his food. Then, slowly, Angeline said, "You can tell all that from a few minutes with him? How?"

Viola shrugged again, looking up to meet her eyes. "I just…can. Honestly, animals make more sense than human most of the time. People just don't bother to listen to them."

Myles piped up, curious, "You don't mean listening with your ears, do you?"

The girl gave him a small smile. "No, not exactly."

Myles nodded in a way that said _I thought so. _He looked to his father. "She should take a look at Rosie," he said decisively.

"Not a bad idea," Juliet chimes in. She winked at the other girl. "Might as well make yourself useful while you're here."

Viola looked at Artemis's parents. "Who's Rosie?"

"A setter," Angeline replied. "Just had a litter, but she seems to be suffering from some sort of postpartum situation. Well, the dog version. The man who works the kennels can't do anything for her, we've had to start nursing the pups by hand."

"We get to help. That's fun," Beckett piped up. Then he frowned. "But I'm sad Rosie's sad."

"Of course I'll look at her," Viola said instantly. Artemis was a little startled by her conviction. He'd rarely seen her so bent on something, only when talking about her siblings.

His father chuckled softly. "Well, that's very good of you. But it can wait until morning, calm down."

She lowered her eyes sheepishly and Artemis was surprised to see her cheeks color, just slightly. "Of course. Sorry, I guess this isn't really appropriate dinner conversation."

"Oh, who's to say what's appropriate in this house," Angeline waved her off, grinning. "I mean, we have an elf at the table. No offense, Holly."

Holly grinned, raising her glass in a mock toast. "None taken, I appreciate the hospitality. And, you know, nice to be here when I'm not _exactly _working."

Everyone chuckled a bit at that, and Viola looked around at them all curiously. She didn't ask anything though, and conversation was fairly innocuous for the rest of the meal. Once they were excused, the twins took off to God knows where with Juliet tailing them, and Angeline and her husband left for an evening stroll in the gardens. That left Artemis, Viola, Holly, and Butler to stare at each other in slightly awkward silence as each of them tried to think of a place to be.

"Well, I'm gonna give Foaly a quick call, see if there's any updates, then call it an early night," Holly said eventually, standing. Due to the human size of the chairs, she was actually shorter than when she was sitting. She gave them all a sharp wave. "Sleep tight."

There were murmured responses, then quiet again. Abruptly, Viola stood and said, "I think I'm turning in too. Been a long day." She started to move away from the table, then hesitated. Slowly, she turned back to Artemis and Butler with a crinkle between her brows. "Ah- I know my room is bugged, but there aren't, like, cameras, right?" There was a plea and a threat in her voice.

"Just bugged for sound. Though we could install video surveillance if you prefer," Butler said, straight faced.

Viola rolled her eyes at him. "I think I like you better stoic than funny," she muttered. Then she gave them a wry half smile. "Cool. Alright then. Night, boys." She turned and walked away, dark curtain of hair swinging behind her as she went.

Butler looked to Artemis, one eyebrow raised. "She is certainly- something."

Artemis snorted. "Something? Take your pick: Secretive, suspicious, infuriating, possibly magical, annoyingly flirtatious-"

"Well now," his bodyguard said, deadpan, "a little flirtation can be good for you once in a while."

Artemis exerted a great amount of will power to refrain from gaping, unable to tell if the manservant was joking or not. Eventually he objected, "I was under the impression that you thought she was dangerous."

"I do," Butler said calmly, standing. "Not so much as before, admittedly. But a little flirting won't kill you." He looked in the direction that Viola had gone and amended, "Well. Probably."

Artemis shook his head, bewildered. "Worry not, old friend," he muttered, standing as well. "_Flirtation _is out of the question. I have no intention of interacting with Miss Sommers without first considering all possible outcomes of the situation."

Butler sighed and patted his charge on the shoulder. "Keep telling yourself that, Artemis."

* * *

Of course, hours later when he glanced at his phone and the time mocked him with "2:37 AM", he still had not gotten a wink of sleep. He bit back a groan and clambered groggily out of bed. Perhaps he would go down to the library and find a new book to read himself to sleep. He'd already tried that approach with _The Subtle Knife _and finished hours ago, but a second attempt couldn't hurt. He quietly pushed open his door and slipped into the hallway, trying to be stealthy and feeling foolish.

He wouldn't _have _to be stealthy under normal circumstances, but it just so happened that the room his mother had put Viola in was just across the hall and one door down from his. If the girl could be infuriating when he was fully awake, he certainly did not want to deal with her at such an ungodly hour.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind, just as he was passing her door, when a small noise made him pause. He hesitated and glanced at the door, sure he had heard something. Several long seconds passed and he had just decided he was tired and imagining things when the sound came again, a sort of muffled cry or sob. His heart lurched, unexpectedly and unpleasantly. Without consciously making the decision to do so he lifted his hand toward the doorknob as the next sob came, pitiful and heart wrenching. Then he caught himself, backing up and making a swift retreat.

After that, what chased sleep away was not an overactive mind but the singular thought of a girl, crying alone in the dark.

**xXx**

Viola arrived late for breakfast with bags under her eyes. She hadn't slept much, thanks to those stupid nightmares, but she still hadn't been able to haul herself out of bed. But she'd been able take advantage of the fact that she wasn't in school to wear worn jeans and an old t-shirt, so that was something. Not like she was really trying to impress anybody anyway.

"Good morning!" The cheerful smile and wave came from Beckett, who was seated in between his two brothers at the table.

She smiled back, trying to ignore how tired she was. "Morning," she managed as Angeline came gliding into the room.

The lady of the house nodded, smiling…well, angelically. "Morning, sleepy."

Viola felt her cheeks color slightly. "Sorry," she muttered, sliding into a chair and grabbing a piece of toast. She glanced around from under her lashes and noticed that Artemis was looking at her with unusual attention. The moment she made eye contact though, his gaze dropped sharply. She frowned. _Huh. Weird._

"Oh, she's up."

Viola looked up to see Juliet enter the room, bright and blond as always. One side of her mouth quirked up. "Yeah. She is."

Juliet grinned at her. "Good." She crossed to stand behind Beckett and ruffled his hair. "_This _one hasn't stopped asking when you're going to see the pooch."

Viola sat up straighter. Of course, Rosie. The other reason she hadn't been able to sleep, worrying about a dog she had yet to meet. She stood quickly. "I'll look at her now, if that's okay."

Angeline furrowed her eyebrows. "You've eaten half a piece of toasted bread," she pointed out reasonably.

Viola shrugged. "I'm not hungry. It's fine, really." She turned to the younger Butler. "So, could you show me to the kennels?"

Juliet seemed a bit startled, but she shrugged and obliged.

"If it isn't any trouble," Artemis said, speaking for the first time since Viola had entered the room, "I'd like to come as well."

She raised an eyebrow at him. He still wouldn't meet her eyes. "It's your house," she said breezily, following Juliet out of the room. The soft sounds of a chair scraping back then footsteps followed her.

* * *

The moment Viola set eyes on the dog, curled up in the corner of the kennel, ignoring any attempt the five pups around her made for her attention, she crouched down beside her and reached out her hand for the animal to smell. The copper colored setter gave her fingers a single, disinterested sniff, then laid her head on her front paws and sighed.

_Oh no. _Juliet and Artemis faded from her mind; there was a creature who needed her, and that was all that mattered. "Rosie," she called softly, laying her hand on the dog's head.

No reaction.

She laid down next to the animal, scooting closer carefully so she wouldn't accidently knock over a puppy. "Rosie," she said again, letting the _something _glide into her voice like honey.

The setter twitched her ears and raised her head slightly to look at the girl properly. She let out a soft _whuff. _She was tired, so tired, but she didn't know why. It scared her. She wanted to mother her pups, really she did, but everything was so _hard _and she didn't know _why-_!

"Shhh," Viola soothed as Rosie let out a quiet, plaintive howl. "I know, I know. It's alright though, shhh. I'm here, you're alright." She stroked the dog's soft head and gently played with her ears, whispering soothing words that blended together. She wasn't sure how long she lay there, but slowly she felt the darkness behind Rosie's eyes receding. Slowly, so slowly, the setter gave a few experimental wags of her tail.

Then, all at once, she heaved herself to her paws and twisted the front of her body to meet her pups. With glad yips and whines they leapt at her, tugging her ears and tail and licking her face with their tiny pink tongues. Rosie waved her plumed tail proudly and nuzzled each of them in turn, making soft noises in her throat to reassure them that she was better now.

Viola sat up, smiling. Rosie wasn't "cured", exactly; she would need to come back and check on her every so often. But she was certainly better, and the girl felt a happy glow rise in her chest.

It was only then she remembered she had company. Almost guiltily, she looked up at Artemis and Juliet, who were both staring at her with wide eyes. She cleared her throat. "Well…ah- there you are then." She rose to her feet and brushed her legs off, avoiding eye contact. A cool, wet nose nudged her hand and she smiled at Rosie, scratching behind her ears.

"That…" Artemis's voice trailed off and she finally met his eyes. They were bright and curious, and a wondering sort of smile began to curve at his lips. "That was amazing," he told her, sincerity shining in his tone.

She blinked, taken aback. "Er- thanks- I mean, I didn't really do anything, and I'll have to check on her pretty regularly, but-"

He shook her head to cut her off and his smile broadened. "I don't know who you are, Viola Sommers, but you are amazing."

Viola had to actively keep her jaw from dropping. Juliet's hand flew to her mouth to stifle a giggle as she looked between the two and she said hurriedly, "I'll go get the boys, they'll want to see her," before fleeing.

"Wai-" Too late. She was alone with, and after he'd gone and said _that. _She felt her face and neck heat and found herself biting at her bottom lip, a nervous habit she'd developed at a young age. "I… um, th-thank you." She winced at the stammer and saw Artemis's smile turn wicked.

_Well damn, _thought a small corner of her mind. _Wicked is a pretty good look for him._

"Hm." He tilted his head slightly as he looked at her, eyes so blue it should be a sin.

"What?" she asked defensively, folding her arms and feeling her cheeks redden, if possible, even more.

The wicked mischief in his smile reached a whole new level. "Oh, nothing. You're quite pretty when you blush, Miss Sommers." His eyes glinted at her, teasing.

Her lips parted but no sound came out, and he laughed. It was the first time she'd heard the sound, not a condescending chuckle but a real laugh, and she found it was oddly contagious. Though a little irk that he had one upped her- and with practically her own line, too- she somehow found herself smiling. "Alright," she conceded, laughing a little. "Point for you."

"Oh?" He quirked an eyebrow at her, still smiling. "I suppose that makes us even then."

She grinned. "I suppose it does."

Abruptly he offered his hand, schooling his features back to seriousness, though he couldn't quite manage his eyes. "Well then, Viola, to a game that seems to be getting off to a grand start."

She gave him a half smile and took his hand. "Agreed. I should warn you though-" she took a step closer so their chests were almost touching. He may have caught her off guard, but this game was _hers_. "I really hate to lose," she said softly, looking up at him through her lashes.

For a moment he was silent and she awarded herself another half point. Then he suddenly pulled her closer- now they _were_ touching, pressed against each other- and bent slightly to place his mouth next to her ear. "Unfortunately, so do I."

His breath ghosted over her cheek and neck and she shivered, just a little. Damn him, he probably didn't even realize what he was doing to her. _Oh yes. This is going to be _very _fun._

**xXx**

Artemis spent a good part of the rest of the morning with his brothers, Viola, and Juliet in the kennels with the newly energetic Rosie. He was rather fond of the setter, and it was good to see her so lively again. Of course, he couldn't think about that without thinking about Viola, and he couldn't think about Viola without thinking about-

Well. Anyway.

He wasn't quite sure what had gotten into him, why he had…_taunted _her like that. He was sure if Butler had been witness to the exchange he would have called it "flirting", but his motives were entirely different: he needed her to open up, for her sake and the People's. If playing her game was what it took, then so be it.

_That's not to say you didn't enjoy it, just a bit,_ a snarky inner voice said. He politely told the voice to shove it, and thereafter ignored it. Still, as the day wore on and he found himself in his lab- comforting after so long away from home- the memory of Viola's warmth as he pulled her toward him would flash through his mind, or the way she shuddered against him delicately, almost imperceptively.

_Stop that, _he reprimanded himself the fifth or sixth time this happened. _Puzzle she may be, but you are wasting far too much mind space thinking about her. _

_Knock knock_

He started violently and almost knocked over a beaker of highly acid paint, part of his latest project. "Yes?" he called, a bit annoyed, admittedly.

Slowly, the door creaked open and Viola warily poked her head around it. "Um, hi," she muttered, looking around the lab curiously.

He raised an eyebrow. "Hello. Did you need something?"

She glanced down, biting her lip. "Not exactly. I-" A little, nervous sort of laugh bubbled from her. "Look, I'm sorry, but Holly wanted me to tell you Foaly's going to call around seven, and it got me thinking about what he's found- or not found- and now I'm all anxious and-" She stopped herself and took a breath. Artemis glanced down and saw she'd been rubbing her right arm again. When she next spoke, she addressed the floor. "Would you- would you mind maybe showing me the grounds a bit or something? I need to take my mind off it, but I don't really want to get lost." She smiled, a little sheepishly, and added quickly, "But if you're in the middle of something-"

"I'm not," he said, perhaps a hair too quickly. There was that soft vulnerability in her voice and eyes; this was another effort to offer trust. There was no ulterior motive, not that he could see. And her concern for her family resonated with him on a very deep level.

Besides, after Butler had thrown his little fit, he and Holly had managed to convince the bodyguard that Artemis could be allowed to accompany her alone, so where was the problem?

He walked toward her and pushed the door open a bit further. "Let's go see the gardens, then."

* * *

"Wow." Artemis watched with a small smile as Viola turned in a circle, taking in the expanse of the well cared for gardens behind the manor. Even in winter the gardeners had managed to get a few flowers to bloom, and of course the evergreen plants were hearty as always.

The girl let out a soft sigh as she face him, eyes bright. "If it's like this in winter, I can't even imagine spring," she murmured.

He gave a small smile. "Yes. It is beautiful. Mother and Father spend almost all their time here, when the weather allows." He sank onto a white marble bench, gazing around. Perhaps he could take her to the hedge maze, that was sure to keep her interest for a while.

Quite suddenly she plopped down beside him and propped her chin in her hands, resting her elbows on her knees. "What are they like?"

He blinked and looked at her. "Excuse me?"

"Your parents. What are they like?" There was honest curiosity in her tone, and maybe a hint of wistfulness in her eyes.

He tilted his head to the left slightly. "Well- Wonderful, I suppose. And very much in love," he added wryly.

She grinned. "Yeah, I can see that. But what was it like growing up with them?"

He hesitated. Trust was a two way street, after all. "I could ask you the same question."

Their eyes locked for a moment, that silent struggle for dominance. Then Viola sighed quietly. "Alright then," she murmured, looking away from him and out over the wintry landscape. "My father was a shepherd, Welsh, and my mother was an artist from a little green island of saints and scholars." She tossed him an ironic wink. "Da was- sort of gruff, really, but like a big teddy bear under it all. I think that's why Mum loved him so much. She was a _free spirit _you might say, sort of hippie-skippy." She shrugged, looking at her knees. "We were happy. I mean, I remember being happy. But I was pretty young when the fire happened, so maybe I just want it to have been that way."

For a moment he was froze, surprised and- secretly- a little delighted she had shared so much. "Fire?" he asked softly, not wanting to pry but sensing she was feeling more open.

She nodded. "Gas leak or something. Mum woke up first and dragged me out, then went back in for Da. I didn't know what to do, I just stood there screaming for help, but our nearest neighbor was far enough away that by the time he got there-" she shrugged, eyes over bright and looked away.

Awkwardly, Artemis reached out and touched her hand. She flinched, then relaxed, looking back to him out of the corner of her eye. "I'm sorry," he murmured, knowing how pointless the words were but not knowing what else to say.

She nodded, blinking a few times. Then she said quietly, "I have to find them. I don't want to lose anything else."

For a long moment he was silent. Then he reached up to touch the necklace he'd lent her. "Do you want to know how I got this?" he asked, looking into her eyes. She nodded. "A few years ago," he began, "there was a boy who missed his father very much…"

**xXx**

Artemis's story about the Arctic and goblin revolutions and the Russian Mafia and deranged pixies and elves bent on vengeance was almost too farfetched for even _her _to believe. But then again, who was she to judge?

They walked back to the house in companionable silence. She felt strange, having shared with him what up until now only four other people had known, but also sort of…good. He was odd that way- one moment they were dancing around each other, playing some sort of game she had the feeling could become quite dangerous if they let it, the next they were spilling their life stories.

_What is it about him? _she wondered as she walked a bit behind him, watching his back. _He's so cold, but you still want to talk to him. _Dangerous indeed.

Her fingers wandered to the coin around her neck and she wondered for what must have been the fortieth time since he'd told his story why he would have given it to her, even on loan. It was obviously very important to him. _"A spark of decency"… _she mused as she felt the hole in the center. She followed him into the dining room and made a decision.

_I'm going to have to trust somebody sometime. If I get burned, at least I'll have picked the fire._

* * *

"Alright, show time," Holly said, rubbing her hands together before setting about setting up the projection for Foaly to give his briefing. Viola swallowed convulsively, throat suddenly very dry.

A big hand came down on her shoulder and she jumped, startled. Craning her neck back, she saw Butler standing behind her. He gave her shoulder a surprisingly gentle squeeze. "It'll be alright," he said gruffly.

Her heart melted, just a tiny bit. She smiled at him and whispered, "Thanks, big bear." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Holly, Juliet, and Artemis exchange a surprised, three way glance. Quite impressive actually.

Then the centaur flickered into view, and all other occupants of the room fled from her mind. "Okay, boys and girls," Foaly said, clapping his hands briskly. "Here's the scoop."


	8. An Odd Harmony

**AN ODD HARMONY**

* * *

"Well, they're alive, or they were two months ago." Foaly clicked a few keys and an image popped up next to his, security video. "That is- I'm assuming these are the people you're looking for," he added.

Viola convulsively gripped her right wrist and nodded jerkily. On the screen she watched two boys and a girl enter what appeared to be a convenience store. One of the boys was a veritable giant, easily six foot, with short cropped hair; the other was smaller, with longer, lighter hair (the quality was pretty poor, so it was hard to discern exact colors). The girl, taller than Viola but shorter than Angeline, bounced up to the counter and fished a card out of her pocket to pay for the armful of snacks she carried. Her hair was pulled back in dozens of tiny braids with a scarf wrapped around the front of her head. She paid, then turned back to the boys. For an instant her face was clearly visible to the camera, all high cheekbones and large hazel eyes.

Viola's breath hitched. "Lizzie." She sway forward unconsciously, as though she could walk into the picture and throw her arms around the other girl.

"So." Foaly minimized the image. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Am I good, or am I good?"

She took a deep breath to steady herself, blinking rapidly. "How- how?" Full sentences seemed to be off the table for the moment.

He shrugged, all false modesty. "Easy, really. They didn't bother making up aliases cause their names aren't actually recorded anywhere, so I searched for that. Found the card, found the date it was last used, and ta-da!" He grinned, obviously pleased with himself.

Viola couldn't help the relieve smile that spread across her face. "Thank you," she said, whole heartedly. "Really." Then she frowned. "Wait- this was two months ago. Where are they now?"

"Ah. Well, you see, that's where it gets tricky." Foaly clicked a few more keys and his image zoomed out a bit to show countless boxes open around him. "Seems that they haven't done anything easily traceable in the last few months, so finding their current location may take a bit longer."

"How long?" Holly asked before Viola could.

Foaly shrugged, rubbing his neck. "Two days? Maybe three?"

Holly raised an eyebrow. "That long? Really Foaly, you're slipping."

The centaur gave an indignant whinny. "Hey, it's not like I'm getting paid overtime for this."

"Where was that store? In the video," Viola cut across their squabbling.

"New Mexico," he answered promptly.

She nodded. That made sense, sort of. "Okay. Maybe search specifically around the southwest United States. Not Texas, but the states around it."

"Why?" That was Artemis, coming up next to her, eyes sharp and curious.

"Because Sam is from Texas," she answered. "He's not stupid, he won't go back to his home town, but he'll want to be somewhere familiar." She looked around the room at them all and saw they were all suddenly wary of her. She sighed. "Look, I didn't tell you before because I wasn't sure I could trust you," she snapped, folding her arms.

Butler took a step closer to her, watching her intently, but not necessarily menacingly. "But now you do?"

She looked up at him, silently debating. "Yes," she murmured after a long moment. Her eyes swung to Artemis. A tiny smile curved one side of her mouth. "Well. For the most part."

"Oookaaaay," Foaly said slowly. "Hate to break up this bizarre little love fest, but I guess I'll get back to work. Any other relevant info, Mud Girl?"

She threw him a glare. "Viola. Liz- Elizabeth is from London, south side. Connor is Irish, but they'll probably stay in the states."

Foaly nodded. "Right-o. One hardworking, underappreciated centaur back on the job." A few clicks and he disappeared.

Holly swore softly. "Always in such a hurry. Ah well, I'll just call his wife, update her with whatever we come up with."

"Ah-" Juliet raised a questioning finger. "What exactly do we have to come up with? Seems to me like the geek's doing all the work."

Artemis sighed. "Yes, but there are a few details it seems still left to be worked out. Such as-" He steepled his fingers and raised an eyebrow. "What do we do with your siblings when we find them, Viola?"

Instinctively she took the question as a threat, then forced herself to calm down. "Our deal still stands," she said slowly. "I'll let you figure out what's screwy in my brain; then, when you let me go, I'll meet up with them somewhere. I guess." Hardly a foolproof or detailed plan, she had to admit.

"Sorry, I'm going to have to shut that one down," Holly said. She glanced around to meet the elf's eyes. The tiny officer shrugged. "It's a security risk having those kids running around with knowledge of the People, however limited. Which I'm guessing is why you never told Section Eight about them."

Viola stared her down. "Forgive me, but my interactions with the People at that point hardly lent me confidence in them." Her tone was icy enough to give _her _chills.

There was silence, painful, awkward silence, for a long moment. Viola glanced at Artemis and saw his gaze was- for some reason- fixed on her right arm.

Oh. She looked down and only then realized that she had been rubbing her scar.

"We could bring them here," Butler rumbled, surprising everyone.

Artemis stared at him for a long moment, then looked at Holly. "Well, officer."

The elf sighed, putting a hand to her forehead. "Gods help me. Alright, have it your way- your house, after all."

_So I get _no _vote? _Viola thought as Juliet cleared her throat. "Technically it's his parents. Maybe we should ask them?" she pointed out.

* * *

They met with shockingly little resistance when the idea was but to Angeline and Artemis Senior. In fact, Madam Fowl seemed almost excited about it.

"Not exactly what I'd pictured, but at least you're meeting new people," she told her son, smiling.

He gave her a slightly strained smile in return. "Yes. Quite." He looked to Viola. "Is this plan acceptable?"

She cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? Now you want my opinion?" The cattiness of her own reply caught her off guard. She hadn't realized how agitated she was. Before anyone could say anything she muttered, "Sorry. It's fine. Great. I'm going to bed." She turned and walked quickly away. No one tried to stop her.

When he reached her room she didn't even bother changing before throwing herself on the bed and staring pointlessly up at the ceiling. C_alm down, _she counseled herself, _you're almost there._

But that was part of the problem: "almost". What if Foaly wasn't as smart as he thought he was? What if something had happened to them since that tape? What if a _thousand _things. And if they did fine them, then what? They'd be brought back here, and she'd be some sort of lab rat until the People figured out why she hadn't forgotten them.

Of course, she had some idea of why, but it wasn't something she was jumping to talk about. Maybe… No, better not. Not yet anyway. Who knew when she'd need that card?

Her mind wondered back to the security footage and she sighed. Just seeing Lizzie's face for an instance had felt like a punch in the gut. And Sam had gotten so _tall. _And Connor's hair- God, what was he thinking?

She missed them. Missed them so much it was physical ache in her chest. She rolled over and buried her face in the pillow, gripping her right arm tightly with her left hand and squeezing until she felt pins and needles. So close. She was so close…

**xXx**

Artemis heard her crying again that night.

He'd woken up, too warm and restless, and decided maybe a good old fashioned glass of water would help. Passing Viola's door, he heard the same muffled sobs as the night before. No, not quite the same…these were harsher, more frequent. They were getting worse.

For a moment, he thought about knocking on her door. Even if she was angry with him for waking her up, at least she'd be out of whatever nightmare she was having. But he couldn't quite do it.

He managed to avoid her (he knew she'd noticed his odd behavior the morning before and didn't want to act suspiciously) by getting to breakfast absurdly early and leave the table before she arrived. Unfortunately, his method of escape involved agreeing to practice self-defense with Butler.

By ten o'clock, he was sore and bruised and rather irritated. "Alright," he groaned as he pushed himself off the floor of the dojo for what felt like the hundredth time. "So I haven't been practicing as often as I should."

Butler snorted. "Really? Could've fooled me."

Artemis scowled at him. "Your sarcasm is hardly helpful," he pointed out as he got his feet.

"Well, at least it's better than before," Butler conceded.

Before their last tangle with Opal, Artemis had hardly been adamant about physical training. However, the strange drawback/benefit of a new body had him thinking it probably wouldn't hurt to be a bit more fit this time around. He wasn't exactly Bruce Lee, but he certainly wasn't the awkward boy he had once been.

Butler shifted his weight back into a fighting stance. "Again."

Artemis groaned.

* * *

"Well, well. What've you two been doing?"

Artemis looked up from mopping the sweat off his brow with a towel to see Viola standing in the door to the dojo, arms folded as she leaned against the frame. "Training," he said curtly, grabbing a water bottle and downing about half of it.

Viola raised an eyebrow and he noticed she was watching his movements carefully. "Huh. I wouldn't have pegged you for martial arts."

"He took a bit of persuading," Butler said, stretching one arm over his head. Giving the girl a quick once over he asked, "What's your training?"

Artemis blinked; given the girl's personality and occasional bouts of clumsiness, he never would have thought she'd have had actual combat training. But then, if anyone would be able to tell, it was Butler.

Viola gave them a half smile. "Streets, mostly. Before and after Niklos found me. And a bit of tae soo do from a woman who thought girls should know how to defend themselves."

Butler gave her a wolfish grin and waved an arm to indicate the space. "Care to test yourself?"

She laughed, holding up her hands. "Oh no, big bear. I have a feeling I wouldn't last five seconds." Then she looked around curiously. "Good to know this place it here though. Is it okay if I just do warm ups in the back or something every now and then?"

Butler seemed almost startled for a moment, then shrugged. "Sure."

Artemis watched the exchange intently. His bodyguard seemed to be warming up to the girl surprisingly quickly.

"Oh, Artemis." His attention snapped back to Viola as she called for his attention. She uncrossed her arms and stretched them lazily above her head, making her shirt ride up just a hair. He ignored it. "I'm going to take a look at Rosie again and Beckett told me to ask if you wanted to come along."

He shook his head. "You go on," he said politely. "Ask Holly, though. She's yet to see you're "knack" with animals."

Viola made a face. "I'm not a zoo exhibit you know," she muttered, but there was no real venom in her voice. She turned to leave with a wave and a "See ya," thrown over her shoulder.

Once she was gone, Artemis gave Butler an arch look. "Was there any particular reason you wanted to fight her?"

The manservant shrugged. "I'd like to get an idea of exactly how dangerous she is," he said, taking a drink from his own water bottle. "Besides," he added with a devilish grin as he put it down, "if she's any good, she could be you're new sparring partner."

The mere thought made him shudder.

* * *

Training lasted until lunch, when he was informed at the table that his parents were taking the boys into town for a few hours. Juliet would, of course, be accompanying them for protection.

That meant that he had a considerable amount of time alone in the house with Holly, Butler, and Viola. Actually, make that minus one elf, he was informed just after his parents and brothers left. Holly had to make a run back to Haven; she wouldn't be back until the next day.

Artemis frowned at her. "A "run"? Why?"

She sighed and shrugged. "Foaly wants me to get the rest of Viola's Section Eight records. The files aren't compatible with any of the technology in the house _or _my communicator. I have to manually get the drive and a suitable console."

Artemis's frown deepened. "Not compatible. Just how far ahead of the rest of the LEP _is _Section Eight?"

She rolled her eyes. "Gods if I know. Far enough. Anyway, I'll be back tomorrow morning at the latest. There's a whole bunch of red tape I have to wade through to get this stuff, but Foaly's got a few short cuts."

He shrugged. "Alright then. I will see you tomorrow."

She smiled and nodded, then shivered out of the visible spectrum.

This left Artemis with very little idea of what to do for the next several hours. He tried to pass the time in his lab, but his mind couldn't seem to focus on any task at hand. A tune kept running through his mind, the unfinished melody he'd been working on for the past few weeks. The melody Viola had overheard him playing.

"Fine then," he muttered to himself as the same three bars wound endlessly through his head. With a sigh he left the lab and made for the ballroom.

Well, it was meant to be a ballroom. His parents still used it on the rare occasion they hosted events at the manor, but for the most part it was a large, empty room with elegant filigree on the walls and a high, swooping ceiling. But it was the grand piano along the right hand wall that he came in search of. The acoustics of the room were quite brilliant.

He sat and simply stared at the instrument for a moment before letting his fingers walk over the keys. He played the melody as he had worked it out before, trying to weave those bars of music into what was already there.

He became so lost in his task that he almost jumped out of his skin when he heard a soft creak coming from the doorway. He whipped around to see a surprised and sheepish Viola with one hand on the wall to hold herself up. He took her in and almost laughed- it seemed she had tripped over the lip of the doorway.

"Sorry," she muttered, straightening herself up. "I didn't mean to- I wasn't spying or anything-"

He shook his head, closing his eyes. "It's quite alright," he told her easily. Then he waved her forward, to her apparent surprise. She moved toward him slowly.

"That was the song from before," she said as she came up beside him. He nodded.

"I told you it needs work." He shrugged. "I'm trying to finish it." He played the few bars that couldn't seem to blend with the rest of the piece.

To his surprise, Viola hummed them back to him, a sort of call and response. He looked up at her and she shrugged. "Maybe you just need another instrument. You know, like- a duet."

He furrowed his brow. He'd always composed music solely for the piano, but maybe… "Could you sing this?" he asked abruptly, playing the bars again.

She blinked. "Ah…sure. I guess." She hummed them again, familiarizing herself.

He nodded, then began to play the melody he'd already written. It was fierce but airy, sweeping back and forth across the keys like a winter gale. Viola nodded along beside him for a few counts, then opened her mouth and sang.

He almost stopped playing. She put no words to the tune, just meaningless strings of "la" and "ah", but her voice soared through the room like a choir all its own. If he didn't know any better, he'd say she was using the _mesmer._

But there was no magic in her voice, not in the way he usually thought of it. It was just her, blending with the melody that poured from the piano. After a few moments, she began to add small embellishments, trilling through octaves or adding her own harmonies. It worked perfectly. If the song he played was a winter gale, the part she sang was a spring breeze come to temper it.

Somehow they both stopped without either needing to cue the other. They sat there in perfect stillness and silence for an endless moment. Then Viola stirred, brushing a stray curl out of her face. "Well…there you are then," she murmured. "That wasn't bad."

He nodded. "Not bad at all." More silence and Viola turned to go.

"Oh, Artemis?" She paused at the door and looked back to him. He met her eyes, curious. She offered a small smile. "I was going to check on Shatan. Come with?"

He hesitated, then rose with a small smile of his own.

**xXx**

Viola was a little surprised by how competently Artemis handled himself around the horses. Perhaps a little unfair of her (she knew he rode Breena, at least), but he just didn't seem like the kind of person to get his hands dirty.

Putting it out of her mind, she approached Shatan's stall and clucked at him encouragingly. "C'mere," she coaxed, holding out the apple slices she'd swiped from the kitchen.

The stallion bobbed his head and whinnied a greeting, coming forward to retrieve the treat. Then he saw Artemis and took a nervous step back, ears flattening to his stall.

"No, no, shh," Viola soothed, smoothly unlatching the stall door and going to his head. "He's a friend," she told him, stroking his neck. "Promise. He's one of the good ones." She glanced over her shoulder at icy blue eyes and amended with a smirk, "Well, I'm pretty sure anyway."

Artemis scowled at her and Shatan nickered. Her word was good enough for him. He clopped out into the aisle to get a better look at the human colt. Artemis held perfectly still as the stallion sniffed his hair, then nudged his chest. Viola giggled.

"He thinks you seem harmless enough, even if you don't look like much," she told him, smirking.

"I'm flattered," the boy responded dryly as Shatan nudged him again and made him stagger. He met Viola's eyes as he caught his balance. "You really understand them? In…a human way?"

She glanced down, clucking to get Shatan's attention. As the horse nibbled her hair fondly she answered, "Sort of. It's…hard to explain." Shaking her head, she muscled the stallion into the center of the aisle and told him, "Stay," moving to grab a curry comb from the basket against the wall. As she set about brushing fiery hair she asked, "You just gonna stand there or you gonna help?"

She thought she heard a soft chuckle, then Artemis stood on Shatan's other side, patting out dust and brushing in large circled.

"You know," she said after a moment, voicing her earlier thought, "I never would have pegged you for this sort of thing."

"Oh?" He moved toward Shatan's chest cautiously. "How do you mean?"

"Well, the piano and the lab, sure. But the martial arts and the horses and stuff? I don't know, you just seem too…_clean _for this sort of thing."

"Hm." He put down the curry comb and picked up a soft brush, saying, "You should do his head. I'm not sure he's reformed enough that I want to be near his head." She switched her brush and there was silence for a moment longer, then he suggest with a quick smirk, "Perhaps you should be wary of first impressions."

She resisted the impulse to stick her tongue out at him. "What was your first impression of me? Just out of curiosity."

He paused brushing for a moment, looking at her in a way that for some reason made her cheeks heat. Then a slow, wicked smile crept across his face. "You were an itch I couldn't scratch. Possibly the most irritating individual I've ever met. And believe me, that is saying something."

She gaped at him for a moment in indignation. Then he laughed and she scowled. "I'll get you for that," she warned him, narrowing her eyes as she led Shatan back into his stall.

He laughed harder. "Oh, Viola. I'd like to see you try."

She turned and offered a lazy smile. "Is that a challenge?" she purred, taking a few steps toward him.

He back up, apparently unconsciously. But his eyes still glinted somewhere between flinty and teasing when he said, "Perhaps."

She chuckled low in her throat and back him up against the wall. She reached out her left hand and laid it on his chest, feeling his breath catch. Standing up on her toes to bring her lips next to his ear she breathed, "Sweetheart- you have _no idea _what you're dealing with." Then she skipped back and flounced toward the door, letting her hips swing just a bit. "I believe that's my point, if you're keeping score," she called back casually.

She heard a neigh that sounded suspiciously like laughter and Artemis's muttered, "What are you looking at?"


	9. Reunion

**REUNION**

* * *

The nightmare was even worse than usual that night. When Viola bolted awake, panting and covered in a thin layer of cold sweat, she realized she was crying. Still crying- she couldn't stop. She took a deep breath and wrapped her arms around her middle, shaking uncontrollably. Finally, the shivers and sobs faded and she sucked in air like she was drowning.

There was a soft creak from the hall outside her door and her eyes snapped up, body immediately tensing. For an instant she thought she saw a shadow in the crack of soft light that leaked under her door, then it was gone.

* * *

She arrived at breakfast to find only she was once again the last at the table. Angeline and the boys smiled at her and wished her a good morning. She forced a smile in return, trying to look less exhausted than she felt, and took a seat as far from everyone else as she could get.

No one commented, though she saw Artemis's eyes dart toward her for a fraction of a second, brow furrowed in what could almost be called concern. Then his father spoke and he switched his attention.

"When did Holly say she would be back?" Artemis Senior asked, leaning back in his chair.

Viola blinked; she'd forgotten the elf had returned to Haven.

Artemis shrugged. "She said this morning, but she may have been held up. According to her, the records she's trying to find aren't easy to get to."

Viola's ear perked up. "Records?" she asked, then winced at how creaky her voice sounded. She cleared her throat and tried again. "These would be my records, right?"

Juliet looked vaguely uncomfortable, but Artemis met her eyes evenly. "Yes. I'm not entirely sure what exactly is included, but they are the records Section Eight accumulated of your stay."

She nodded. It may be odd, but she appreciated his bluntness. Whatever else he was, Artemis tended to be very honest- unless he was working one of his schemes, she supposed. Which he wasn't. She hoped.

"Right. Well." Angeline stood. "Your father and I have a meeting to get to. You'll help Juliet watch out for the boys, won't you darling?" she said to her son, tone warm and wonderful but making clear that she wasn't really asking.

_I really have to ask her to teach me that, _Viola thought in admiration.

"Of course," Artemis answered with a small smile. In a flurry of hugs and kisses, Angeline and Artemis Senior left the room, leaving the Butler and Fowl siblings and Viola to stare at each other in silence.

Beckett, of course, was the first to speak up. "Are you gonna look at Rosie again today, Vi?" he asked, eyes wide and hopeful. Myles tried to look disinterested but she could tell he wanted to see the pups too.

Viola grinned. She couldn't help it; the twins were really growing on her. "I was planning to. Besides, those puppies need names, don't they? Do you want to help me pick some out?" Artemis Senior had suggested the idea for her and the boys the day before.

"Yeah!" Both twins scrambled out of their chairs and ran to her eagerly. She laughed and climbed out of her chair as well.

"All right, all right." She let them take her hands and looked up at the other occupants of the table. "It's alright, isn't it?"

Juliet shrugged. "I'll come with, for appearance's sake." She winked as she stood, then looked at Artemis. "You coming?"

He sighed and rolled his eyes, but Viola could tell it was mostly for show. "Fine, fine," he said, standing as well. Butler was, predictably, at his side. The whole party made its way toward the door, Beckett chattering excitedly while Juliet and Viola tried to keep track of what he was saying.

Then they heard muffled voices from the foyer. Two of them were Artemis Senior and Angeline, but they couldn't quite make out what was being said. Butler and Artemis exchanged looks and the bodyguard moved forward. Viola crept up behind him, not one to be kept in the dark. She peered around him, ignoring the glare he threw at her.

"Look I know, it's sudden-" The Fowls were standing in the doorway, talking to Holly Short. The elf was gesturing widely. "Foaly didn't expect this, but, well-"

"Hey, it's not really like we volunteered to be here." Juliet, Artemis, and Butler looked taken aback by the new voice, strange to them, but Viola felt her heart leap into her throat. Ignoring Butler hissing at her to stay put, she dashed past him into the foyer.

Now she could see clearly that there were three figures standing in the doorway behind Holly: two boys and a girl, all looking wary and uncomfortable. The people from Foaly's security video. Her stomach flipped and she clapped a hand to her mouth to stifle a sob.

The girl looked past the two adults and her hazel eyes widened. She drew in a sharp breath, clutching at the fabric of her loose skirt in a gesture Viola recognized as an old habit. "Vi?" Her voice was tremulous, disbelieving. Everyone else fell silent.

Viola smiled shakily. "Hey, Lizzie."

With a wordless cry, Elizabeth dashed past the Fowls and flew across the room, slamming into Viola with the force of a small car. Viola staggered back a few paces, laughing and feeling like crying as she wrapped her arms around the other girl and hugged her so tight she felt she might break them both.

"Vi! _Vi!_" Connor and Sam slammed into her from either side, laughing and shouting and sniffling. Hands stoked her hair and back as she reached out to touch each of them in turn. It was a blur of warmth and familiar eyes and jabbered words, all going fuzzy as her eyes began to tear.

"We thought we'd never see you again!" Liz was sobbing, clutching at her arm. "I thought you were _dead_!"

"I looked for you," Viola said, choking back her own tears. "As soon as I could, I looked. I'm sorry I took so long-"

"Shut up," Connor told her, squeezing her around the middle, shaggy hair getting in both their eyes. "Don't you apologize, don't you _dare_."

"God, Vi, always one for dramatics, huh?" Sam said. She looked up and saw his eyes were very bright. Laughing, she stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek, then held her arms wide and let them all mob her again.

She closed her eyes and felt something warm streak down her cheek. "I missed you," she whispered.

**xXx**

Artemis and the rest of the room found themselves standing and staring, mute, at the reunion that was taking place in the foyer. He glanced toward Holly, still hovering in the doorway, and mouthed, _Two or three days?_

She shrugged. Foaly's work must have gone more quickly than the centaur had anticipated. Now that didn't happen often; if Foaly made an estimate it was almost certainly correct.

Well, that wasn't really important at the moment he supposed. Of course, he was having a hard time sorting out what exactly _was _important at the moment; he didn't quite know what to do with himself, nor did the remainder of the room's occupants not involved in the emotional huddle in the center of the foyer. They all just stood there, not really wanting to watch but unable to look away. He caught a glimpse of Viola's face through the tangle of limbs and saw a single tear trickle down her face. His heart lurched.

Then Viola abruptly disentangled herself, moving to face Artemis's parents. "Sorry," she said, looking at the ground. "I know it's early, but can they still stay here?"

"_Stay _here-!?" The taller boy, from Viola's descriptions he assumed this was Sam, fell suddenly silent when Viola shot him a warning glare. Artemis was both amused an intrigued by the exchange; it seemed the girl held some form of authority over the others. However, it was rather odd to see a young man close to six foot (if not taller) so easily cowed by a girl who barely topped five.

"Of course, dear," Angeline said kindly, smiling. His father nodded.

"If you all don't mind waiting until we get back," he said to the newcomers, "we can have some rooms made up for you. I'm afraid you caught us off-guard and we're in a bit of a rush."

"That would be wonderful, thank you," Viola answered for the group. There were awkward goodbyes, and Angeline threw a meaningful look in the Butlers' direction that said, _You watch my children. _Then the lady and master of the house were gone.

"Well," Holly said, rubbing her hands together and looking around. "I didn't get breakfast, so- who's hungry?"

* * *

The group- sans Juliet and the boys, as she had opted to take them for a walk- found themselves back in the dining room. Butler, Holly, and Artemis sat on one side of the table, Viola and her siblings on the other. They stared at each other warily.

"So then these elves in black suits pop up out of nowhere," Elizabeth was explaining, "And the next thing we know we're being _mesmerized _and we wake up in this sort of holding room with a centaur spouting techno-babble at us. Then the pretty elf shows up, tells us she can take us to you, and bang! Here we are."

Holly, you looked slightly taken aback but rather flattered by the "pretty elf" comment, added, "Foaly refined his search algorithms last night, and we were able to locate you kids much more quickly than we would have anticipated. Found them in southern Colorado," she told Viola.

"So, why are you rounding us all up?" Sam asked bluntly, narrowing his eyes. "You got Viola, now us- why?"

"That's not it, Sammy," Viola said, putting her hand on his arm. He glanced down at her and settle back reluctantly. "I asked them to help me find you," she explained, "we made a deal."

Connor narrowed his eyebrows across the table. "What kind of deal?"

"Miss Sommers has agreed to undergo a testing situation to discover why a fairy mind wipe proved to be ineffective on her," Artemis answered calmly, watching them all with interest. Connor seemed to have a cooler head than the other boy, but he was just as suspicious. While Elizabeth seemed a bit easier than the other two, he had a feeling that was partly, if not completely, an act.

"Absolutely not," Sam said abruptly, starting to stand. His eyes blazed angrily. Butler moved to stand as well, and Artemis felt Holly tense beside him.

"Sam." Viola voice whipped through the room. Silence fell. She glared at her brother. "Enough. The deal's made. It's done."

He frowned at her. "But-"

"Podem parlar-ne més tard. Ara asseu-te. A baix," Viola ground out, staring him down.

Artemis and his companions shifted. He realized she'd switched languages to keep them in the dark, but it was a rather futile effort; Holly could of course understand, and though Catalan was an obscure dialect of Spanish, he got her point. She had told the boy to sit, and they would talk about it later.

Slowly, Sam obeyed, lowering himself back into his chair. "Sorry," he muttered churlishly, glaring at them.

"Sorry about him," Elizabeth said, patting his arm. "He can be a bit- abrasive."

"Abra-!" He shut up when she leaned forward to kiss him.

"Oh, lighten up, idiot," she told him fondly.

Viola stared at them, mouth agape. "Hold on- when did- you two are- _what_!?"

Both of them started guiltily and looked at her, shamefaced. "Oops," Elizabeth whispered.

"I forgot you didn't know, Vi," Connor said easily, grinning. "That happened a few months after the Doc's place got raided."

Viola groaned and put her head in her hands. "My world just imploded, don't mind me."

"Ah, perhaps we should give them some time," Holly suggested quietly to the other two, "You know, to catch up."

"Excellent idea," Artemis murmured back.

"As long as they're under surveillance," Butler put in.

Viola must have caught his last comment. She rose with a sigh. "Come on, guys," she said to her siblings. "Let's go to my room for a bit." She shot Butler a look that said, _Satisfied_? He winked in return.

"You have a room." Connor said as the others rose. "Just how long have you been staying here?"

"A few days…" Their voices faded as they left.

"Well." Holly said into the silence after a moment.

Artemis nodded. He was thinking. "Well indeed."

**xXx**

"So do they know?" Elizabeth's first words once the door to Viola's room closed behind them.

She winced, frowning at her little sister. "The room is bugged," she warned in Catalan. She'd taught them all language for cases like this. Though, knowing the people in this house, she wasn't sure what good it would do.

Elizabeth waved the warning off. "They won't know _exactly _what I'm talking about."

"Besides, blue eyes already suspects something about you," Connor added, sitting on the bed. "I can tell."

"Of course he does," Viola sighed, sitting next to him. "He's freaking Genius Boy. But no, I haven't told them." She winced slightly when Sam sat in the chair near the window and Elizabeth snuggled onto his lap. It was so _weird _thinking of them as a couple; not bad necessarily, just weird.

"Are you going to?" Sam asked, wrapping his arms around Elizabeth's waist. Viola looked away from them, closing her eyes and rubbing her temple.

"I don't know," she moaned. "I think I might have to. I mean, if they're gonna be testing my brain and stuff, they're bound to figure it out anyway."

"Why did you agree to that?" Connor asked softly. She looked up and met soft, sad green eyes. "After everything he did to us- why?"

She smiled at him gently and took his hand. She could remember when those eyes were younger, staring up at her with awe, devotion, trust. A trust she would never betray. "I was the only way I could see to find you," she said softly, squeezing his fingers.

"Vi-" Elizabeth's eyes were bright. She vaulted off Sam's lap to tackle her sister in another hug, pressing her face into her neck. "We missed you so much," she choked out as Viola patted her back.

Viola smiled. "I missed you guys too. God knows why, though; you're such a bunch of damaged little cretins."

Elizabeth laughed and hit her lightly on the arm. "Jerk," she mock pouted.

Viola wrinkled her nose at her. "But you love me." Then she sighed, breaking away from the three-way huddle and sitting up straight. No point putting it off any longer; they would listen to the whole conversation, then just confront her about whatever she and the others were hiding later. _Wish we'd gotten more of a chance to catch up, _she thought, a little wistfully. But oh well. Might as well get it over with.

"Hey little birdies listening in," she said, loudly and clearly. "Guess what? Fairies aren't the only ones with magic."

* * *

**Wow, sorry that took so long. And it's so short. Life got in the way. *sob sob* I will try to be better about this, promise! I hope most of you are still with me...**

**P.S. Much thanks to those who reviewed. I usually try to respond but I didn't get the chance this time, so I will say thank you on here :)**


	10. Secrets Told

**SECRETS TOLD**

* * *

Artemis, Holly, and Butler, clustered around a console in Artemis's study, listening to the conversation in Viola's room, stared at each other with wide eyes. He had been a little reluctant to listen in at first, it was essentially spying on a private moment, but this group was too unpredictable to leave unmonitored. Though even he hadn't _quite_ expected this_._

"Well…" Butler said slowly.

"Magic," Holly breathed.

Artemis closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I think we should have a little chat with our guests."

* * *

Butler escorted the four teens to the study. Viola's three siblings entered as though they were creeping into a lion's den, all wary eyes and tense shoulders. Viola herself, on the other hand, waltz right into the room with the customary swing to her hips and proud set to her back. She flashed Holly and Artemis a grin before letting herself fall into one of the available armchairs on the other side of the room, letting her legs dangle over one of the arms.

"So tell me honestly," she said, smirking, "how surprised were you? Really?"

Despite himself, Artemis felt his lips twitch in an answering smirk. "Maybe forty-six percent."

Viola's smirk widened. "Alright, I'll take it." She glanced toward where Butler and her sibling were hovering and let out an exaggerated sigh. "Can you all just sit, please? You're making me nervous."

Sam snorted as they all slowly complied. "Right, _you're t_he one that's nervous," he muttered, leaning against the wall next to her. Butler came to stand at Artemis's shoulder while Connor took the seat next to Viola and Elizabeth perched on the free arm of her chair. The two sides simply stared at each other in silence for a long moment.

Finally, Holly spoke up. "Alright. So. Magic." She folded her arms and stared them down, quirking an eyebrow. "Care to explain?"

Viola glanced at her companions, who all remained silent, then shrugged and sat up. "Not sure that I really can," she said. "I mean, I understand more after Section Eight, but it's not like I'm an expert."

"Understand more?" That was Connor, surprisingly. He was staring at his foster sister with raised eyebrows. She shrugged again.

"Yeah. Not much, but more." She sighed, leaning forward and propping her elbows on her knees. Artemis watched her silently, schooling his face free of emotion, even when she glanced his way and he saw a flicker of something in her eyes that gave him the bizarre urge to cross the room and wrap his arms around her shoulders.

"So, magic is in the brain, yeah? Well, I guess, like a couple thousand years ago humans could access that part of their brain." Butler flashed Artemis a look; on his return from limbo, the boy had shared his hypothesis with his bodyguard.

"Ok, I'll bite," Holly said slowly. "Go on."

Viola nodded. "Well- we can do that. Access the magic. Somehow. I don't know how Niklos knew, but he did. That's why he gathered us all up. He wanted to- understand more, I guess."

"He wanted to fucking dissect us," Sam snapped, eyes flaring. Artemis shifted slightly at the unexpected language.

"Sam!" Elizabeth reprimanded, eye wide. Even Viola seemed surprised by the outburst.

"No, he's right," she said softly. Her eyes were very far away. "He- he _tested_ us, I guess you could say. To see what we could do, how we did it."

"It was awful." Connor spoke so quietly it was almost inaudible, his eyes fixed on the floor. "We weren't kids to him, we weren't even people, we were…_anomalies_." Viola reached without look to grip his arm. As she did, the sleeve of her shirt slid a fraction, revealing the edge of her scar.

"I'm sorry," Holly said softly. Artemis looked at her face to see her hazel eyes shining with compassion. "I…think I understand why you are so wary of the People, but I want you to know we aren't like that. Not all of us. I'm so sorry that happened to you."

Viola smiled at her, a tiny smile that set a glow behind her eyes. "I know, now. At least, I hope I know."

"There's something I don't understand," Butler rumbled, shifting his weight. Artemis glanced up at him and saw the furrow between his brows. "If this is true, if this Dr. Niklos was such a madman, why not tell the LEP, Section Eight?"

Viola looked down for a moment. "I didn't want to risk it," she admitted. "When all hell broke loose, and I made them run-" she waved a hand to indicate her siblings- "He cornered me in his lab. He saw we'd figured it out, what he was, and that we were trying to contact the LEP. He was angry. Then-" Her eyes were far away again. Everyone in the room, even her siblings, seemed to hold their breath as they waited for her to continue. "He calmed down," she said quietly, not seeing them but a memory years passed. "I mean, he got scary calm. Then he tried to restrain me, he had this table- like an operating table, you know? Tried to strap me in it, like I was Frankenstein's monster." She smiled humorlessly. "I fought back. Gave him a black eye, I think, but he tranquilized me. When I came to, there was this tiny scar on my right arm. He said he'd chipped me, so that when the People came he could use whatever I found out." She seemed to snap back into the present. Her eyes suddenly shot to Artemis's, burning and determined. "I hate him," she said with utter conviction. "I didn't want to do anything to help him. So I kept my mouth shut until they let me go, then I got the chip out." Her hand went to her right forearm; now her "phantom itch" made sense.

"That's why Section Eight's records of you are pretty useless," Holly murmured.

Viola looked to her. "I'm…sorry, I guess," she said. "I knew that I was- that we were- dangerous to the People, but I didn't know what would happen if I told. I think…I trust you enough now that I don't think you're going to do what Niklos did." She gave her another tiny smile. "Tell Vinyaya I'm sorry, will you? She was really nice to me."

Artemis felt his stomach lurch and Holly's eyes grew sad. "I'm afraid I can't," she said quietly. "Vinyaya died, about two years ago."

For a moment Viola's eyes went wide, then they closed. She let out a sharp breath. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "She was a good person."

Holly smiled, eyes just a little bright. "Yes. She was."

"Look, I don't want to be a jerk and ruin the moment," Elizabeth cut in slowly, "but what exactly happens now?"

"Well." Holly looked at Artemis and Butler, a look that said _Shall we improvise? _"I suppose our deal with Miss Sommers still stands- though now we have significantly more information. And, for the time being, I think it would be best if you all stayed here, until I can talk to the LEP. Don't worry," she added quickly when they all tensed. "No one is going to be a lab rat. But humans with magic is a big deal; we have to figure out _something."_

"What is it exactly that you can do?" Artemis asked curiously, leaning forward. They all looked to him, wary. "I assume that a least the gift of tongues is involved," he said with a pointed look at Viola.

She gave him a lopsided grin. "Guess I wasn't exactly subtle with that one, huh?" He smiled briefly in response.

"Well," Elizabeth said slowly. "As far as we can tell, we can each do something different, but only one thing."

"Liz," Sam hissed warningly.

"What's the point hiding it anymore?" she snapped back at him. "They know everything else."

"I can heal," Connor said abruptly. They all looked at him, a bit startled by the sudden confession.

"And I can- well, I don't really know how to explain it…" Elizabeth trailed off.

"It's called the _mesmer, _what you do," Viola told her. "I learned at Section Eight."

"Really?" Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "That's kinda catchy."

"And Sam shields," Viola added, looking at her oldest brother.

He frowned at her. "It's called 'shielding', really?"

She snorted. "It sounds more articulate than, 'going invisible', so I'm not judging." He glowered at her and she stuck out her tongue.

"Wow." That was Holly. She blinked several times, apparently absorbing information. "Okay then. I guess that means I'm on the next flight down to Haven."

Viola frowned. "Can't you just call somebody?"

Holly gave her a droll look. "This isn't exactly over the phone type news, Viola."

"She has a point," Connor said reasonably.

Viola sighed and rolled her eyes. "What are we supposed to do while you're gone, then? How long will you be gone? What-"

"Hold on." Holly raised a hand for quiet. She glanced at Artemis. "They can still stay here, right?"

He nodded. "I don't see why that should change."

"Good." She rubbed her temples. "Gods, I feel a headache coming on. Alright, how about this: while I'm wading through red tape at headquarters, I send No1 up here to do some basic magical testing, just to see how advanced their abilities are."

"Isn't he still in training?" Butler asked.

She shrugged. "He's taking a couple months off. Besides, this case is exactly the kind of thing he's interested in. he won't be able to get on the shuttle fast enough."

"Ah- 'scuse me." Sam waved a hand to get their attention. "Who- or what- exactly is No1?"

Artemis and Holly exchanged a toothy, dangerous smile. "Our demon."

**xXx**

Viola was much more open to the idea of a demon once the species was actually explained to her. Of course, by that time Juliet had returned with the boys and they had to go over the whole thing again, which was just a little annoying. By the time everything was said and done and the members of the Fowl household were bidding Holly goodbye at the door, it was already late afternoon.

"Sooooo…what do we do?" Lizzie asked softly as the door closed. Viola shrugged.

"Mostly I've been hanging around here. The gardens are actually really pretty, if you want to explore."

"I'd be happy to show you around," Juliet, apparently having overheard, flounced over with a grin and sparkling eyes. "Oh, and Madam Fowl called to tell me which rooms to get ready, so I can show you if you like, too."

Lizzie, ever the social butterfly, smiled back at her. "That actually sounds amazing. I don't think I've slept in some twenty-eight hours."

"I could use a nap too," Connor admitted. Sam stayed silent, but Viola could see he was exhausted.

"I dunno," he said, Texas drawl becoming more pronounced. He looked at her with serious gray eyes. "I mean, we just found you, shouldn't we-"

Her heart squeezed as she remembered why she loved this boy. His arrogance and prickliness was an act, a ploy to distract from his sensitivity. She smiled at him and threw her arms around his waist, remembering a time when she could reach his shoulders. "Don't worry about it, we'll have loads of time to talk. Get some rest, take care of yourselves. I'm not going anywhere."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Promise?"

She kissed his cheek. "Promise. Now go on, shoo." She traded hugs and kisses with Liz and Connor too before they followed Juliet up the stairs. She turned and realized Artemis and Butler were just standing there, watching her. She raised an eyebrow. "Can I help you?"

They exchanged a look. Then Artemis took a step forward and nodded his head down the hall. "Walk with me."

It wasn't a request.

* * *

"Sooooo…are you pissed I kept secrets?"

Artemis had led her down a hall and up several flights of stairs to a room that appeared to have once been an attic, then some sort of bedroom, and now seemed to be deteriorating back into storage space. The boy had said nothing the entire time, and once they'd entered the room had crossed to the window seat and sat there, staring out over the grounds.

He finally looked at her, eyes thoughtful. "Mm? Oh. No, of course not. Everyone is entitled to his or her secrets. I-" He frowned, apparently unsure of what to say. She could practically _hear _his brain working. "I am…_concerned _for you."

He sounded about as surprised as she felt. She blinked at him, unsure how to respond. She felt in the past few days they had- well, sort of started to become friends, albeit friends competing in some sort of flirtatious game. Still, the admission shocked her, though not entirely in an unpleasant way. She decided to go with her fallback: sass.

"It's cute that you're worried, but I'm a big girl." She gave him a half grin. "I dress myself and everything."

He glared at here, but the expression was more exasperated than angry. "I said concerned, not worried," he corrected primly. She chuckled and went to sit at the other end of the window seat.

"Right, it's your _concern _that compelled you to bring me up here…alone…away from the rest of the house…just you and me…" She widened her eyes dramatically and clasped a hand to her breast, exclaiming in the voice of a southern belle, "Why, surely you don't mean to do me _dishonor, _Master Fowl?! Goodness me, the _very _idea-" She fanned herself and pretended to swoon.

To her surprise, instead of blushing and stammering or glowering, Artemis laughed. It was that nice, infectious laugh she'd heard in the kennel, and it made her smile.

"You are an odd girl, Viola," he chuckled.

She gaped in mock indignation. "And you're not? Well-" she amended, "obviously you're not an odd _girl, _but you know what I mean."

He laughed again, shaking his head. "No, you're right. I suppose we're about as strange as it gets."

"Well, at least we're in good company," she said lightly. He smiled at her, eyes shining in a way that made her stomach flip. _Whoa, there, slow your roll, girl. _She still had to be careful. Didn't she?

"It will be okay, you know."

She blinked at the sudden assurance, then realized her face must have shown some of what she was thinking. Artemis was looking at her softly, an expression that- until that point- she'd only seen him make around his family. "Nothing bad will happen to you or your siblings," he continued, tone utterly sincere.

She gave him a small smile. "Thank you." She believed him. She wasn't sure why, but she did. Suddenly, all her anxieties came bubbling to the surface, things she'd never even told Connor and Sam and Liz and she realized she _needed _to tell someone.

"I-" she bit down on the words, looking away out the window. No, it wasn't his problem.

"Viola?"

She shook her head. "It's…" she sighed and let her voice trail away. Her scar twinged and she winced. "Nothing," she finally murmured. "Sorry, it's nothing. I-"

"Viola."

Somehow, without her noticing, he had slid down the seat to her side. His hand wrapped around her left wrist; only then did she notice she'd been rubbing her arm. She looked up to find his face very near her own, eyes soft and concerned. Suddenly words she couldn't control came spilling out of her mouth.

"It hurts," she whispered. "When I think about him, it hurts. Where the chip was, where I-"

"How did you get it out?" he murmured when she choked off. She couldn't look at him, focusing instead on his fingers around her wrist.

"Glass," she whispered, remembering. "Section Eight left me at a hospital; when I woke up I was already in a recovery room. I remembered everything, even though I knew I shouldn't have, and all I could think was _I can't let him find me. _I wasn't thinking straight, they must have given me something to keep me asleep. All I could think to do was-" She shrugged. "I broke the mirror. Used a shard to dig it out. I cut vertically- I really couldn't think clearly- so the hospital staff thought I'd tried to kill myself. I almost did," she added, shivering at the memory. And at the tiny, niggling thought: maybe she hadn't just been trying to get the chip out. Maybe-

Suddenly Artemis pulled her hand lightly, jerking her back into the present. She looked up to meet his eyes as he laid her hand gently in her lap, his fingers lingering softly on the back of her hand. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

There was such raw emotion in his voice that she suddenly felt teary. It was strange from him, unexpected- then again, most of what he did was. So she forced a smile and shrugged. "Don't be, I'm alright now. Besides, everyone has scars."

His lips twitched. "Yes, I suppose so."

She smirked, wanting to lighten the mood. "I bet even you've got scars," she said teasingly, leaning toward him a bit. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours." She winked.

He sighed and shook his head, closing his eyes. "Do you ever take things seriously?"

She giggled. "Not if I can help it, I don't." Damn, point missed. Oh, well, another shot then. She leaned closer and her smile widened. "Come on, there has to be something more entertaining we can do than swap war stories," she purred.

He gulped, leaning away from her. "Technically," he said just a bit too calmly- _yes! Point me-_ "In order to 'swap' stories I would have to tell you one of mine."

She sighed exaggeratedly and leaned back. "Well then, shoot. I'm counting that as my point, by the way."

He sat up and frowned at her. "What point?"

"You swallowed. Hard. And I felt your heartbeat spike." She smirked.

He narrowed his eyes. "You most certainly did not."

"Oh?" She cocked an eyebrow. "Shall we conduct another test then?" she leaned toward him and he shifted back a bit.

"Fine," he muttered, cheeks flaming. "Your point." He settled himself back against the window and gave her a look. "Well…I'm not sure what to tell you."

She shrugged, settling next to him, but not too close. "Anything. Oh- tell me how you met a demon."

He smiled a bit. "Alright. That's a long story though."

She grinned, settling in further. "We've got time."

* * *

"Wow." Viola stared up at him, trying to imagine what he would look like with one eye hazel. "That's…_wow." _She snorted and shook her head. "And I thought _my _life was crazy."

He chuckled.

"So you and Holly are really close then. I mean, I could tell a bit, but I had no idea you'd been through so much together." She looked at him, curious. "How'd you guys meet? And how'd your eye change back? And-"

He raised his hands, laughing. "Also long stories, perhaps for another time." He nodded his head outside and she realized the sun was setting. "It's getting late, Mother will want dinner to be served soon."

"Fiiiiine," she grumbled, stretching her back like a cat. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that Artemis watched the arch of her body and cheered internally. This game would be cake, if she played it right. "I'd better go see if the others are awake," she said, standing.

Or attempting to stand. He foot caught on something, an old chest or small bureau, and she toppled sideways, letting out a rather undignified squeak as the ground came rushing toward her.

An arm went around her waist, just managing to stop her from hitting the floor, and she caught a glimpse of another arm thrown out as though to break a fall. For a split second she was fuzzily confused, then her focus snapped back and she realized that Artemis had managed to catch her, but he'd fallen practically on top of her in the process. He was holding them both up, one arm pressed against the floor for support, the other around her middle, pressing her against him.

Her heart jumped as she turned her head and their noses almost touched. "Uh- th-thanks," she stammered as he gently lowered her to the ground. "Sorry, I really am a klutz. I, ah-" Words weren't coming. What was wrong with her? Her face and neck were hot. No, her whole body was hot. And for some reason she was very aware of the way he smelled; soap and skin and mint. Why mint? And _why _was it so damn alluring?

"No problem," Artemis murmured. He hadn't moved. Why hadn't he moved? This couldn't be any more comfortable for him. Then she saw the victorious smile beginning to slip across his face. "And I believe that, once again, the score is tied."

"Okay," she admitted, forcing her voice to sound calm. "Point you."

There was an instant, a fraction of a second before he started to move where they both stared at each other. Brown eyes met blue, but instead of the silent battle she had come to expect there was a different kind of heat that rushed through her. She saw it in him too, just a flicker behind the eyes, almost a question. Then he shifted, meaning to stand up.

She wasn't sure why she did it- a game, a challenge, maybe she just wanted to- but her hand flew up and she slipped her fingers around the back of his neck, feeling short, fine hair tickle her skin. She used her instant of surprise to prop herself up on her other elbow and pulled him down to her.

And she kissed him.

* * *

**Mwahahahahahahahah!**

**So...I hope you like cliff hangers :P**

**I'll try to update soon, cross my heart**


	11. Playing the Game

**PLAYING THE GAME**

* * *

She kissed him, and Artemis froze.

He thought, later, that it was a bit clumsy as far as kisses went, rushed and confused. Still it sent heat rushing through him from where her lips touched his. His mind screamed at him to pull away while his body had entirely different ideas, leaving him in an awkward state of inanimation. Her fingers on his neck were cool. Her lips were dry. She tasted like apples and honey.

Then she pulled away, dropping her hand and wriggling out from underneath him. In an instant they were both on their feet, staring at each other while somehow trying to avoid making eye contact.

"I'm sorry," she said in a rush, eyes flicking from his chest to the wall to her feet. "I'm sorry, I didn't- you- I mean-" She bit her lip and whirled away. "I'm sorry." She practically ran from the room, leaving him standing there feeling rather dazed.

After a long moment, he let out a breath and rubbed the back of his head. "What the _bloody hell _was that?"

* * *

Dinner was both a relief and a torment. A relief because his parents, brothers, and the Butler siblings made for familiar, welcome distraction from his racing thoughts. Even Viola's siblings began to open up and chat throughout the meal.

It was a torment because somehow, despite subtle efforts both made to avoid it, he and Viola ended up seated across from each other at the table. He could rarely look up from his dish without accidently meeting her eyes; they would both flush and look away, or she would turn to talk animatedly with Elizabeth and he would try to decipher Beckett's babble.

He couldn't get it out of his mind, the way her lips felt against his, the way she seemed to hold her breath an instant before they made contact, as though preparing to jump from a great height. For a moment he'd thought she'd merely been playing a game, crossing a line he wasn't planning to cross- but that wouldn't explain the way she'd reacted after, how flustered she'd been. She was the one who initiated it after all; it just didn't make sense.

He managed to focus long enough to hear Viola explain to his parents that Holly was going to be sending No1 to stay with them. His mother was glad to see the demon (she'd had a soft spot from him since his involvement with curing her of Spelltropy), and his father seemed interested in meeting him.

"No1 is a funny name," Beckett said sagely, breaking into the conversation.

"Don't be rude, Beckett," his mother told him, "and eat your peas."

He wrinkled his nose. "Peas are icky."

"Peas are icky, but treacle and espresso are a delight," Artemis muttered, ruffling his brother's hair.

Viola chuckled and he looked at her on reflex. He saw her cheeks darken and she looked down. He glanced away awkwardly, just in time to see Myles looking back and forth between them.

"You are acting strange," he said clearly, eyes fixed on Viola.

For a moment she froze, then she gave him a slightly puzzled smile. "Am I?"

He nodded. "You won't look at Artemis. Did you fight?"

Now the entire table's attention was on them. Artemis loved his brother, but in that moment he very slightly wished he'd never been born. "No, we didn't fight," he said calmly, determinedly not looking across the table.

"Then what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Viola assured him. Her tone was perfectly casual; it would have fooled anyone, except a Fowl.

"You're lying."

"Myles, that's enough, love," Angeline said sternly. The child subsided, looking dissatisfied.

"Oh, you'll get used to him and his observations," Artemis Senior said jovially into the silence. He seemed to be talking to Viola's siblings. "Now, tell me again, where are you all from?"

Dinner was bearable after that, though it still seemed to drag on longer than the laws of physics should allow possible. Once excused, the teens headed for the stairs that led to their rooms in an awkward cluster. Somehow, Artemis and Viola ended up trapped in the middle. No one seemed much inclined to talk, so they all treaded down the hallway in painful silence. When they reached the door to Viola's room she disentangled herself from the group quickly, accidently brushing against his arm as he did so. He started slightly at the touch and hoped he wasn't blushing, feeling heat in his face.

"Well, night then," Viola said too quickly. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed her cheeks were just a little too pink.

"Good night as well," he said softly, slipping away to his room as the siblings each gave Viola a hug before letting her go. For a fraction of a second, his eyes met hers over Elizabeth's shoulders and their gazes held. Then she broke away from her sister and he closed the door, shutting out the rest of the world for a few blessed hours.

**xXx**

For the first night in a long, _long _time, Viola's usual nightmare did not come. She would have been thrilled under normal circumstances, and she was still rather relieved; unfortunately, the nightmare was replaced by hours tossing and turning, cursing herself for being an idiot and then spending _far _too much time thinking about the kiss in the attic. When she finally did fall asleep, thoughts of Artemis followed her. She couldn't remember the dreams, exactly- only that they were disjointed and confusing- but she remembered his eyes, the look of bewilderment in them the moment before she'd run away. And that other look, just before she kissed him- the look that sent a shiver down her spine and made her toes tingle.

"Damnit," she muttered when she woke from these strange half dreams the third time and realized it was actually morning. Great, now she had to get up and face him again. _Maybe he'll forget, _a tiny, hopeful voice suggested in the back of her mind. She snorted internally. _Wouldn't that make things easier?_

_But why shouldn't it be easy? _The thought came out of nowhere, and it surprised her. She paused in pulling her shirt over her head. _You like him, he seems to like you- well enough, anyway. What's the problem? You know, boy meets girl, bla bla bla. It's actually pretty normal._

Right. Normal. She sighed and finished getting dressed. _That's _why it wasn't as simple as that; since when had she ever been normal?

* * *

"This is delicious," Lizzie declared over breakfast, swallowing a bite of omelet. "Who makes this food?"

"I do," Butler rumbled, completely monotone. Sam looked at him in surprised; Lizzie seemed too absorbed in eating to really care.

"I help," Juliet put in, elbowing her brother. "Don't think you can take all the credit."

"Well, it's amazing," Lizzie said, shoveling in another bite.

Viola laughed. "Slow down, jeez. You'll choke."

Her sister made a face at her and Viola chuckled; she looked like an angry chipmunk with her cheeks full of food. Evidently realizing this, Lizzie swallowed and complained, "I'm not a little kid, Vi."

"Yeah, then don't eat like one," Viola teased, nudging her. Liz pushed her back and the only thing that kept them degenerating into a shoving match was Connor saying tiredly, "Girls, manners."

Lizzie blushed and ducked her head. "Oh, right. Sorry Master Fowl, Madam Fowl."

"Angeline is fine," Artemis's mother said with a smile, daintily taking a bite of her own breakfast.

"So, what time is this demon guy getting here?" Sam suddenly piped up. His siblings looked at him and he shrugged. "Just wanted to know."

"Holly sent me a message this morning," Artemis said quietly. Viola felt her spine stiffen and had to force herself to relax. It was the first time he'd spoken since she'd taken her seat at the table, and up until that point she'd done a pretty good job of pretending he didn't exist. Now that she had to look at him, she felt her stomach jump nervously. _Come on, pull it together._

Artemis, evidently, was not nearly as worked up as she was. He was his usual, cool and collected self when he told Sam, "No1 should be arriving in the early afternoon, so feel free to explore the house and grounds until he arrives."

"Really? Cool." Sam grinned.

"They could come see the horses," Myles offered.

"And Rosie and the puppies," Beckett chimed in. He looked at Viola, grinning. "You said you wanted to check on her, right?"

She laughed lightly, standing. "Okay, okay. Do you want to go now?"

Beckett's toothy grin widened even further and he scrambled out of his chair. As he raced over to her, Myles following, Viola looked to his parents and mouthed, _This okay?_

Artemis Senior smiled at her and nodded and she smiled back. Her siblings rose when she nodded toward the door and began to walk out.

"Artemis," Beckett said suddenly, turning to his still seated brother. "Do you want to come?"

Viola froze, then looked slowly back. Her eyes met icy blue ones, unfathomable as an ocean. "I don't think so, Beckett," he said easily, eyes never leaving her face. "You go on and have fun."

For a moment Viola wanted to tell him to come with them. She wanted to see that easy smile he had when his guard wasn't up, the contagious laugh she'd heard only twice. She wanted him to tell her more stories, about how he'd met Holly and Foaly, about- well anything. She just wanted to hear him talk. And she wanted him to tell her it was going to be okay again, to look at her the way he had in the attic, with total assurance.

And when she realized that was what she wanted she was terrified. So she stayed silent, letting her gaze drop from his and following the others out of the room.

* * *

After making sure Rosie was still steadily improving, Viola left the others to go see Shatan. Connor offered to come with her, but Lizzie stopped him. The sisters traded a look and Viola knew the other girl had realized she needed some time alone.

So she ended up in the stallion's stall, absently swiping a brush down his flank. "Maybe we'll be able to take you out for a run soon, now that you're all reformed," she told him, patting his withers.

He bobbed his head excitedly. He was let out into the paddock often enough, but he needed the freedom to really _run, _to heat his blood and combat the winter chill.

She smiled, putting down the brush and moving around to his head. "Would you let me ride you? Eventually?" she asked respectfully, digging in her pockets for the bits of carrot she'd grabbed from the kitchen.

He took them daintily from her hand, then nudged her chest with his nose. Of course. She was his herd, but he doubted she could keep up with him on her own two skinny legs. And no horse wanted to run alone.

"Yeah," she agreed, stroking his neck. "Most humans don't want to run alone either."

He tossed his head. Most? She didn't want to run alone either, no matter how much she pretended otherwise. He could tell.

She made a face. "Well, I'm not alone anymore. My herd is here now."

If it was possible for a horse to look droll, he did. Yes, her heard was here. But she needed more; she was a lead mare, down to her bones, in her blood. She needed a herd stallion.

She snorted, moving to pick up the brush again. "Please. The day I 'need' a stallion is the day I shoot myself. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Shatan sighed. She didn't need a stallion to take care of her; she needed one for companionship. For the kind of togetherness a herd alone could not always be. He snorted, twisting around to nudge her side. Besides, in all likelihood, _she'd _be the one doing the caring for.

"Even if you're right," she said, pushing his head away, "and I'm not saying you are, how do you propose I go about finding this herd master, hm?"

Shatan neighed at her impatiently. She knew as well as he did; he could smell the human colt on her, the one with winter eyes.

Viola almost dropped the brush. "I-" she started, then trailed off. What was she supposed to do with that?

"Oh."

The voice made her start and whip around. She'd been so caught up in her conversation that she hadn't noticed the stable door opening.

"I- _ahem. _Sorry, I didn't realize-" Artemis stood in the aisle, looking in her direction but not exactly _at _her.

She swallowed, then said hurriedly, "No, I- I was just leaving." Shatan whinnied a protest and she shot him a glare.

"You don't have to-" Artemis began, then stopped. His face set in that expressionless mask. "Of course. Excuse me, Miss Sommers." He moved toward Breena's stall.

Viola felt her heart ache at the clear absence of her name. She put down the brush and slipped out of Shatan's stall. She heard, in a vague sort of way, Breena and Shatan complaining across the aisle to each other about how silly their humans were being. Really, all they needed was a push in the right direction…

Something planted itself firmly in her back and shoved her forward. "Wha-!?" she exclaimed, toppling toward the ground for the second time in as many days.

And, for the second time, Artemis caught her. Well, sort of. Shatan had shoved her forward with enough force that she mostly rocketed into him in an ungainly heap. She looked up at him, blushing furiously, and stammered, "S-sorry, I- that-"

"Why?"

**xXx**

Viola froze at his question, eyes locked on his. They were so close he actually felt her heartbeat stutter with nerves, though her face remained impassive. "Why what?" she asked, tone unreadable.

He shook his head. She knew. "Why?" he repeated, holding her eyes with his.

She opened her mouth, eyes narrowing slightly, and he expected some witty retort. But she said nothing. Slowly, she sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. "I don't know." Her voice was almost strained, irritated, but not with him. Her hands rested on his upper arms from her attempt to steady herself as she fell; he felt her fingers clench spasmodically. "I just-" One side of her mouth curved up in a self-mocking smile. "I wanted to," she said quietly, eyes looking down and away.

For a long moment they just stood there in silence. Artemis felt like several thousand thoughts were all clamoring for his attention at once. But all he could seem to focus on was the slight flush to her cheeks, the sweep of her dark lashes against fair skin. Without his brain quite being informed, he dipped his head to press his lips to hers.

She tensed, surprised, and he hurriedly pulled away. "Ah- forgive me," he said quietly, letting his arms fall away from her and taking a step back. "I-"

She was looking at him, just looking, eyes dark and wondering. Before he could say anything else, she took a step forward to close the distance between them and looked up at him fiercely, arms wrapped around her torso.

"Why?" she demanded.

They stared at each other for an endless moment as he tried to identify an answer. Finally, he let out a sharp breath and admitted with and ironic half smile, "Because I wanted to."

She nodded sharply, eyes never leaving his face. "Good." Then she rose up slightly on her toes to kiss him again.

This kiss wasn't as rushed and awkward as the first, but he still wasn't quite sure what to do. Hesitantly, he reached up to cup her cheek, letting his thumb trace softly along her skin. Just as carefully, her arms went around his neck, almost as if she was afraid a suddenly movement would shatter them like glass.

After a long moment, they broke apart and stared at each other.

"Well." Artemis said eventually.

Viola nodded. "Yep." She popped the _p_.

Silence.

"So…" She seemed to realize she still had her arms around him and shuffled back awkwardly. He tried to step back as well and bumped into Breena's stall door.

"So." He agreed, rubbing the back of his neck.

More silence.

Slowly, a smile spread across her face. "Maybe we should, ah, head back? See how everyone's doing?"

He nodded firmly. "Yes. Of course." Thank goodness, something else to put his mind on.

"Right." They both started to move at the same time and bumped into each other.

"Oh, sorry-"

"Shoot, my fault-"

They stopped and stared at each other. Viola bit her lip, eyes dancing. Then she laughed, clear and bright. Artemis couldn't help it; he began to laugh too, shaking his head in bewilderment.

* * *

Artemis found that Viola's siblings were actually quite entertaining to be around. When he and Viola made their way to the kennel, the three teens were on the floor with his brothers, giggling as they were mauled by setter pups. He couldn't help smiling at the image.

A majority of the rest of the day he spent babysitting the twins while Viola caught up with her brothers and sister. All seven of them, by unspoken consent, ended up in the parlor. Elizabeth, Artemis, and Connor sat on the floor with the boys while Sam and Viola took the chaise. Every once in a while, he would glance up to meet Viola's eyes and she would blush prettily and look away and give him a fleeting smile.

It was strange; it seemed the awkward tension had eased between them to make way for a different kind of awkwardness. But…it wasn't exactly unpleasant.

"So, this No1- what exactly is he gonna do?" Sam asked, finally giving in to Elizabeth's coaxing and getting down on his knees on the floor.

Artemis stood. "Probably just a basic evaluation," he answered.

"And what exactly does that entail?" Viola asked. Myles was watching the conversation eagerly while Beckett hopped up next to Viola and handed her a plastic dinosaur.

"The green ones are the best," he explained solemnly. She grinned at him.

"Oh, of course."

Artemis shrugged in answer to her question. "I'm not entirely sure. It is possible for a warlock to gauge the abilities of other magic users, but I don't really know how that translates to all of you. As far as I know, you are the first recorded cases of humans with magic."

"So, after you guys figure all this out," Connor spoke up, "what happens? Are we gonna be in LEP custody?"

Elizabeth looked startled and Sam frowned at the idea. Viola's face remained calm, but Artemis saw her shoulders tense. He shook his head. "No, Holly and Foaly will work something out. You may be put under surveillance or something of the like though."

"Will they have to leave?"

They all looked at Myles, a bit surprised. The boy was sitting with a book on his lap, staring at them all intently.

Artemis blinked. For some reason, that thought had never crossed his mind.

"I- I don't know," Viola told the boy, sounding as though she'd never really thought about it either.

Beckett pouted. "I don't want you to go," he complained, staring up at her with wide eyes.

Artemis watched her smile and ruffle his hair and realized, _Neither do I._

**xXx**

The demon arrived a few hours after lunch. Artemis's phone/communicator beeped and he told them all to wait in the room where Viola and the others had previously contacted Foaly, then went to fetch his friend.

"This is weird," Connor said softly as they all waited, twiddling their thumbs.

Viola snorted. He didn't know the half of it.

The door swung open and they all shot to their feet, not quite sure what to expect. Then Viola's eyes swung to the little creature that said cheerfully, "Hello!" and she had to exert effort to keep her jaw from dropping.

Whatever she had expected, it was not this. The word "demon" brought to mind a scaly beast with fangs and claws, perhaps enormous bat wings and glowing red eyes. No1 was…not. In fact, the best word she could think of for him was, well- cute.

"Ah, hello," she said when her sibling seemed unwilling to speak.

"I'm No1," the demon said with a smile, waddling towards her and holding out a hand to shake. She took it, baffled, and glanced over the creatures head to where Artemis was standing in the door. He seemed to be trying very hard not to laugh. She quirked an eyebrow at him, then addressed the demon again.

"I'm Viola," she said. Then, indicating the others in turn, "Sam, Connor, Liz. Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise," No1 chirped. Then he dropped her hand and took a step back, rubbing his palms together excitedly. "Now, let's get started, shall we?"


	12. Doctor Who?

**DOCTOR WHO?**

* * *

"Alright, why don't we start with the one who can shield?" No1 suggested, smiling.

Artemis moved quietly into the room, taking a seat as the siblings exchanged a four-way glance. Viola met Sam's eyes and nodded her head toward the demon fractionally. He grumbled something under his breath and stepped forward.

"That's me," he said, towering over the little creature.

No1 nodded. "Great. Holly explained a bit to me- shielding is all you can do, right? No tongues, no _mesmer_ or anything?"

Sam shook his head. "Just shielding."

"Alright." No1 settled himself onto the floor in a lotus position, which looked quite interesting considering his legs were rather stubby. "Mind giving me a demonstration?"

Sam shrugged. "Uh, sure." Slowly, he began to fizzle out of the visible spectrum. First his fingers disappeared, then his legs up to the knee, then his arms, then- gone. Only a slight shimmer in the air showed his presence.

Viola shook her head. "You know, I almost forgot how freaky that is."

"You're one to talk, Dr. Doolittle." The boy's voice buzzed slightly due to the intense vibration.

"I see I haven't missed much."

Artemis looked up to greet Butler, who had arrived in the doorway, and noticed out of the corner of his eye that Connor and Elizabeth jumped. Sam was surprised enough to drop his shield.

"The 'ell?" Elizabeth gasped, cockney accent coming through thicker than usual.

Viola sighed, quirking an eyebrow at the bodyguard. "You get used to it," she told her siblings. Then, with a grin for Butler, "Glad you could join us, big bear." He nodded to her solemnly.

"Hello, Butler," No1 said, jumping to his feet to give the large man an exuberant hug.

"Hello, little friend," Butler rumbled.

Viola raised an eyebrow at Artemis. He shrugged; what could he say? The demon was a hugger.

"Alright, back to business." No1 settled back onto the floor. "_Mesmer _next, please."

Elizabeth stepped forward. She rubbed her nose awkwardly. "Uh, well… do you want me to hypnotize you?"

No1 shook his head. "It won't work so well on me, pick a human."

"Use me," Viola said immediately. Artemis took note of the flash of emotion in her eyes, something like protectiveness.

Elizabeth bit her lip. "You sure?" she said softly. Artemis and Butler shared a quick look. There was a story there.

Viola nodded firmly, giving a small smile. "It's fine Liz, go on."

The other girl sighed and mumbled, "I hate doing this." Then she looked Viola in the eyes and intoned, voice laden with magic, "_Sit down._"

Viola's eyes glazed over and she sat. Artemis had to try very hard to keep from flinching; there was something _unnatural _about the girl being so obedient.

"_Stand up._" Viola stood. Elizabeth looked to No1. "Is that enough?" She sounded pleading. Viola's eyes began to come back into focus.

No1 looked apologetic. "I realize this is uncomfortable, but would you mind one more command? I don't have a full accurate reading."

Elizabeth bit her lip again, hesitant, but Viola spoke up, breezy and confident. "Sure, she said, giving a lopsided grin. "Fire away, Liz."

Artemis's fists clenched in his lap. She hated this; he saw it in her eyes. He false joviality was almost painful to watch.

"Alright." Elizabeth let out a sharp breath. "_Vi, can you sing for me?_"

Viola blinked, then the _mesmer _took hold and she opened her mouth. "_Can you feel the river run? Waves are dancing to the sun. Take the tide and face the sea, and find a way to follow me._"

The room seemed to collectively hold its breath. Artemis recognized the song- Mo Ghile Mear, originally sung in Gaelic; Viola's voice brought life to it, sending it soaring through the room. He remembered vividly the way she'd sung while he played. If possible this was even more beautiful.

"You can stop," Elizabeth said as Viola reached the chorus. She smiled at her sister. "Thank you."

"I forgot how good you are," Connor said suddenly, throwing his arms around the girl. She blinked, coming back to herself, then shoved him playfully.

"Knock it off." But she was blushing slightly. Her eyes flicked in Artemis's direction and he smiled. Her blush deepened and she dropped her gaze.

No1 was clapping. "That was beautiful, thank you very much." He beamed up at her, then his expression dropped. "I'm sorry, I know that must not have been very comfortable.

She waved his apology off. "It's fine, do what you have to."

He nodded. "The healer then."

"Me." Connor disentangled himself from his sister. Before anyone had time to react, he bit down sharply on his own hand, drawing blood.

"Whoa, man!" Sam jerked, surprised, and Elizabeth drew in a sharp breath. No1 rose halfway up, his instinctive need to help spurring him on.

"Connor!" Viola protested, grabbing his arm. He pulled away gently.

"It's fine, see?" He tilted his hand for them to see that the wound was already mostly healed, blue sparks jumping along his skin.

"Excellent." No1 made a face. "Though I was going to suggest you simply heal a plant or something. No need to be so drastic."

Connor shrugged, green eyes unreadable. "Faster this way.

"Hmph." The demon sat back, still visibly unsettled. "Well, then, I suppose that leaves you." He turned to Viola expectantly.

She shrugged. "Wǒ yǒu shuō fāngyán de ēnc," she said. _I have the gift of tongues, _in a simplified Chinese dialect, Artemis thought. Then she switched to French. "Ne sais pas si il ya beaucoup d'autres choses à dire." She seemed to think for a moment, then added, "I can also, you know…talk to animals."

"I noticed something about that," Artemis spoke up. The others turned to look at him, Viola frowning slightly. He ignored it. "She speaks to animals on a human level," he told the demon. "It is more than basic communication; she can carry on a conversation."

"Really?" No1 looked at Viola, intrigued. Her frown deepened.

"Yeah…" she said slowly. "Is that…unusual?"

"Yes, actually. Very." No1 stood and moved to stand in front of her, looking up into her face. "Okay, no don't freak out or anything, I just want to try something. If you could bend down a bit, please."

She did, hesitantly. The demon reached up to touch his finger to the middle of her forehead, then closed his eyes and muttered something under his breath. The runes on his body began to glow and swirl. The furrow between Viola's brows deepened.

Then, suddenly, she jerked backward with a gasp, staggering to regain her balance. Without thinking about it, Artemis was on his feet, meaning to steady her, but Elizabeth and Connor were closer.

"What did you do?!" That was Sam, on his feet and glowering at No1.

The little demon didn't respond, instead panting desperately while he tried to regain his breath. Artemis went to his friend and Butler stood behind them protectively. _What on Earth just happened?_

"Answer me, damnit, what did-"

"Sam, enough."

Viola pushed away from her siblings, moving toward No1. Artemis noticed Butler tense, but the girl was swaying slightly on her feet, and there was no malevolence in her stance. Slowly, she knelt in front of the demon. "Well," she said quietly, "that was…interesting."

No1 smiled at her tiredly. "Tell me about it. You pack quite a punch, Mud Girl."

Viola blinked, rocking back on her heels. "That was _me_?"

"Excuse me, can someone explain what the hell is going on?" Sam demanded angrily.

Artemis patted the demon's shoulder, as much to reassure himself he was alright as for camaraderie. "Well, No1?"

"It seems that Miss Viola is an empath," the demon told them, smiling.

Viola stared at him, face blank. "A what?"

"An empath," the demon repeated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. The term rang a bell in Artemis's mind. Perhaps something in one of Foaly's files…? "It's a rare gift; most warlocks can work up to it, but you have a natural aptitude like nothing I've ever seen, or even heard of." He beamed. "It's amazing."

"Great." Viola said dryly. "But what exactly _is _it?"

Suddenly it clicked; Artemis remembered reading about it in a copy of Qwan's book he'd hacked from Foaly. "It means you can sense emotion," he explained, meeting her eyes, "in living things as well as inanimate objects. As an empathy, you are more sensitive to the nature of things. That is way communication with animals comes so easily to you; not only do you know their basic language, you can sense their feelings- in essence, what and how they think."

Her jaw dropped. "_Seriously_? I always assumed all the People could do that."

"Nope." No1 shook his head happily. "You are unique."

Viola groaned and closed her eyes. "_Wonderful_."

**xXx**

Mostly there was just talking after that. _A lot _of talking; the demon asked if she and her siblings had to complete something called "the Ritual". It sounded like a cult thing to her, but apparently it was how the People recharged their magic batteries. The fact that they didn't need it- abnormal.

_This whole effing situation is abnormal,_ she thought tiredly, rubbing her eyes. When she opened them, she caught Artemis glancing at her, maybe the tiniest bit of concern in his expression. She had to bite down a smile. _Especially this. _This _is definitely "abnormal."_ But fun, she had to admit…

Okay, focus. The demon was wrapping up his- insanely cute and polite- interrogation.

"I think that's all I need for now," No1 was saying. He looked at Artemis. "Can we get a projection up in here? I want to try to contact Foaly."

The boy nodded, standing. He looked to the rest of them and said, "You don't have to stay, this is just going to recap everything you just talked about."

"Then I'm out." Elizabeth grinned and practically sprinted to the door. "I'm _starving._" Connor and Sam followed her. Viola looked at Artemis, questioning. He nodded fractionally- she could trust him. She nodded in return and followed her siblings out.

* * *

It seemed that there was still more of the manor she hadn't seen; after leaving her siblings in the kitchen, Viola climbed to the third floor and busied herself poking around anything unlocked (and a few things locked- two years on the streets weren't for nothing). Eventually, she found her way onto a balcony that overlooked the gardens.

"I wish I could see this place in spring," she murmured to herself, leaning onto the stone railing. The grounds were breathtaking enough even in the gray of winter, but she could just picture them green and vibrant with spots of color-

"Who says you can't?"

"Jesus!" She swore she jumped a foot in the air, whipping around to see Artemis standing in the door she'd left ajar, smirking at her. She glowered. "Mark my words, pretty boy, one of these days I'll sneak up on _you_."

Instead of offering a retort, he just frowned at her, puzzled. "Pretty boy?"

She couldn't help giggling at his expression. "Nothing, nothing." She waved her hand for him to join her. "Well, are you just going to stand there?" A gust of wind blew past them and she shivered.

Artemis moved forward with a sigh. "Do you e_ver _where a coat?" he grumbled, coming up beside her.

She was going to offer some sort of smart ass remark about being too hot to need one, but before she could something settled around her shoulders, something warm and soft that smelled like mint. She glanced sideways at Artemis. She'd never seen him in just a shirt before, it was- different.

"Thanks," she said, pulling his jacket closer around her. "But you'll be cold."

He shrugged, but didn't say anything. She smiled to herself, feeling something like a warm tingle in her ribcage.

"Oh, wait a second!" She stood up straight, remembering. Artemis looked at her, confused, as she fumbled around her neck. "Here," she said, holding out the necklace he'd given her was seemed like so long ago. She smiled. "Seems to me like you've held up your end of the bargain, so I guess I should give this back."

"Oh- thank you." He reached to take it.

She leaned forward before he could, smiling softly. "Let me," she offered quietly, rocking onto her toes to slip it over his head. The coin fell into her palm and she let it rest there for a moment before sliding it beneath the collar of his shirt.

"Ah- _ahem. _Thanks," he mumbled. She looked up into his face and saw his cheeks had gone red. Her smile widened.

"Don't mention it," she murmured, letting her hands rest against his chest. He glanced away from her, out over the grounds.

"Looks like rain," he said casually. She chuckled.

"Yeah," she agreed, looking where he was. "Maybe snow- it's cold enough."

He shook his head. "We almost never get snow, even in dead winter. Mostly sleet or freezing rain-"

She giggled, shaking her head. "Are we really talking about the weather right now?"

He finally looked back to her, an ironic smile curving his lips. "What would you rather talk about, Viola?"

She felt her heart jump slightly and mustered her courage. "I'd rather not talk," she said softly, tilting her head back and letting her eyes slide closed.

She waited a breathless moment before his lips brushed hers, more of a question than a kiss. She curled her fingers in the front of his shirt and tilted her head slightly to deepen the kiss. One of his hands went to her waist, drawing her closer, the other to the nape of her neck. She shivered at his touch, wishing she could blame it on the cold. She could feel his heart beating against her chest.

When they broke apart, after a moment or a millennia, he was smiling, just a little. She grinned in response. "I think we're getting better at that."

He laughed, a full laugh that made her want to throw her arms around him and kiss him again. "I think you are right," he chuckled, letting his thumb brush lightly back and forth across her skin. She leaned into the touch.

"So…" She didn't want to ask, but one of them had to say it: "What exactly is…this? Us? Whatever."

He sighed, letting his hand drop so both his arms settled loosely around her waist. "I…don't know," he admitted. If she hadn't been fighting her own emotional battle, she would have chuckled at how much he obviously hated those words. "I'm not- I've never been good at…relationships. Of any kind," he said on a breath, brow furrowing.

Her mouth twitched up on one side. "Neither am I," she said dryly. Then she shrugged, looping her arms around his neck. "Okay, so here's the plan then: we're not thinking about it."

He blinked at her. "Excuse me?"

She snorted. "I realize the idea is blasphemous to you," she said, droll, "but hang in there with me; if we don't think about it, it's gonna be really hard to screw it up."

"Screw _what _up?" he asked, exasperated. She put a finger to his lips.

"No thinking," she said firmly, one eyebrow arched. He sighed and closed his eyes.

"Very well. No thinking," he agreed after a moment.

She smiled. "Great." No, not great. She knew this was like a band-aide for a war wound, but she didn't really care. She just knew that this- whatever it was- had the potential to be something good. Maybe. And God knew she wanted something good.

It wasn't that she wasn't grateful for her siblings, for the amazing luck she'd had these past few weeks. But there was something else, the idea of something _more _in Artemis's eyes that lit a fire in her chest she didn't think she wanted to put out.

Something of her thoughts must have shown on her face, because Artemis's expression changed slightly, as though he was suddenly focused. He leaned down to her and let his bottom lip brush her top lip, a touch that wasn't quite a kiss. She leaned toward him but he pulled back, not enough to break the touch but enough to make her chase him, chuckling darkly. She growled- literally growled- and rocked onto her toes to turn the touch into a kiss.

The moment she did, the skies opened. It was as if someone had decided to dump buckets of icy water on them. They both gasped at the shock, almost instantly drenched. Artemis grabbed her hand and darted for the door.

"Great timing!" Viola shouted at the sky. Artemis laughed. They burst into the manor and leaned against the wall, laughing and gasping and dripping with icy water.

"Well, not exactly what I expected," Artemis said, wiping his hair out of his eyes.

Viola chuckled and nodded. She allowed herself a few moments to appreciate the way his hair was just long enough to fall in front of his face when it wasn't combed back. It was actually kind of…well. Sexy.

He glanced sideways and saw her looking. "What?" he asked, defensive.

She shook her head, feeling her cheeks heat a bit. "Nothing, sorry." She shivered lightly, then said with a sigh, "I suppose we'd better get changed."

He arched an eyebrow. "Oh, you think?"

She nudged him, mock frowning. "None of your sass, boy." She gave him a grin that included sticking her tongue out a bit and said, "Come one, let's go," and started down the hallway.

It was only then she noticed he hadn't let go of her hand.

* * *

"You want us to do what?" Viola was frowning, confused.

No1 sighed. The demon had asked for them to return to the room they'd left him in; luckily, she and Artemis had managed to change before the summons came. A projection of Foaly occupied most of the back wall of the room, something that had at first grasped Liz and Connor's attention completely. Until the centaur had told them what was needed; a clear image of Dr. Niklos (or whatever his real name was). He was a liability- they were planning to track him down.

"It's really very simple," No1 explained. "We create a circle and I use your memories to create an accurate image for Foaly to search, since we don't have a name-"

Viola held up a hand for him to wait. "Yeah, yeah, I get that part." She paused, then amended, "Mostly. What I don't get is _how _we do that? What is this- this spell or whatever going to do to us?"

"That's the beauty of it," No1 beamed, spreading his hands wide. "Nothing. All you need to do is focus on a clear memory of the good doctor."

Viola sighed, rubbing her eyes. She glanced sideways and saw Artemis and Butler waiting along the wall, expressionless. Well, almost expressionless. Blue eyes met brown and she could have sworn he _winked _at her.

_I may die from the shock, _she thought dryly, then said to her siblings, "Alright, you heard the man. Demon. Whatever. Circle up."

With a bit of grumbling they complied, creating a loose circle that included the little warlock.

"Alright, now everyone join hands," No1 instructed. They did, exchanging bemused glances. "Now close your eyes and concentrate on your clearest memory of what your Dr. Niklos looks like."

Viola bit back a noise of exasperation and did what she was told. The clearest memory she had- the elf was leaning over her, face drawn and serious. His short cropped hair looked like graying wheat- if that was a thing, and his narrow eyes were an odd shade of tawny gold. Lines spider-webbed from the corners of his eyes and mouth, and there was a small scar on the right side of his forehead.

"Very good. Keep that image in your mind, but you can open your eyes."

Slowly she did. And had to swallow a gasp. On her left, Liz wasn't quite so quick, and on her sister's other side Sam swore softly.

"Okay. That's freaky," Connor muttered. Viola nodded in mute agreement.

Hovering in the air in the center of their circle was a 3D image of Dr. Niklos, rotating slowly on the spot. He seemed to be made up of billions of tiny, glowing, colored dots. A few strayed ones buzzed through the air around him.

"Well, that's you're man," No1 said cheerfully, glancing to the projection of Foaly. Then his face dropped. "Foaly?"

"That's not possible," the centaur was muttering, typing away frantically out of sight. He seemed to pull up some communications screen and spat, "Holly, get in here now."

The elf's voice crackled over a speaker the occupants of the room couldn't see. "What's wrong?"

"Just get in here please."

"On my way." The communication stopped.

"Foaly, what is going on?" Artemis asked, taking a step forward.

Perhaps because of the siblings' writhing emotions or because they lost focus, the image in the circle began to fade. No one seemed to notice.

"He's dead," Foaly muttered, still typing frantically. "How could he have-? _How?"_

"Foaly," Artemis snapped. Viola suddenly realized she was shaking; she didn't know the centaur well, but from Artemis's descriptions this was _not _in character.

"His name is Kols," Foaly said, looking up from his keyboard. "Nier Ignacious Kols. He died over fifty years ago."

**xXx**

After that, things happened very quickly. Holly came bursting into Foaly's operations room and the situation was quickly explained, as much as it could be: the elf who had taken custody of Viola and her siblings was actually a criminal assumed dead for the last half century.

Nier Ignacious Kols. Found guilty of illegal genetic and biological experimentation, charged with war crimes for his treatment of his subjects. Burned down his laboratory, with himself locked inside, when the LEP came to arrest him.

"I remember that case," Holly said in bewilderment. "At the Academy, it was in one of our classes." She shook her head and looked at Foaly. "He's _alive_?"

"And continuing his work, if the Mud Kids are anything to go by."

"What does this mean?" Viola asked. Artemis looked at her and took an automatic step to her side. Her arms were wrapped around her torso, her jaw clenched. She was shaking, just enough for him to notice.

"It means," Holly said with a sigh, "that we have a good old fashioned, bona fide man hunt on our hands."

* * *

There wasn't time then to plan any sort of operation, and Foaly was so paranoid that the back-form-the-dead doctor someone had surveillance on them that he refused to continue communication through computer. He and Holly would be at the manor in a couple of hours, and they would go from there.

Butler went to find his sister to debrief her on the situation, after making sure Artemis and the others had promised not to leave the manor until Holly and Foaly arrived. Restless, and understandably so, Sam and Elizabeth had excused themselves to go to their rooms soon after.

"I think I'll go after them," Connor murmured a few minutes after they left. "I just- um." He looked down, fists clenching spasmodically.

"Yeah. I'll be right behind you," Viola said, touching his arm lightly. He gave her a small, grateful smile and left.

The moment the door closed, Viola's knees buckled and she collapsed onto a chair. Artemis found himself at her side without consciously telling himself to move. Her face was buried in her hands, shoulders shivering.

"Well this sucks," she mumbled. "I can't believe- I mean I should have known you all would want to go after him but-"

Artemis reached out and awkwardly laid his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said softly. He couldn't think of anything else to do; what was he supposed to say?

Slowly, she raised her head. "I'm fine," she said brusquely, standing. He let his hand drop. She gave him a small, forced smile. "Thanks. I'm good now." She moved toward the door.

Impulsively, Artemis grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She stumbled against his chest, gasping, "Wha-?" He wrapped his arms around her- a little awkwardly- and held her against him, not quite sure what he was doing. All he knew was that she was lying; she wasn't fine. "You…don't have to pretend," he said slowly.

She froze in his grasp. Then, slowly, she relaxed, melting against him. She let her arms come up around him and hid her face in his chest. He felt her fingers dig into his back and he tightened his embrace, laying his cheek on the top of her head.

They stood like that for a moment or five. Then Viola pulled away, carefully, and smiled up at him. Her eyes were truly open for perhaps the second time since he'd known her, and he saw fear in them. But also something else, something bright and hopeful.

"Thank you," she murmured, stretching up to kiss his cheek. Then she turned and set her shoulders, walking through the door and back out into the world.


	13. On the Road Again

**ON THE ROAD AGAIN**

* * *

**AN: Because I know I don't say it often enough, thank you so much for your follows/favorites, and particularly to those who took the time to review **** I love you all!**

* * *

Needless to say, Angeline was not thrilled with the recent turn of events.

"No," she said when Artemis and Butler approached her after dinner. "Absolutely not. Over my dead body."

Artemis winced slightly and sighed. At least she wasn't shouting (of course, that was because he'd calculated if he cornered her after she put his brothers to bed her instinct to avoid waking them would outweigh her anger). "Mother-" he began.

"_No._" She closed her eyes and clenched her jaw. "I will not have you gallivanting off to all corners of the globe, risking your life, and- and- and God knows what else, _again_. End. Of. Discussion."

"Mother-" he tried again.

"Stop, Artemis. Just stop." She held up a hand, glowering. "If the People have to do this mission, they can do it without you, understood?"

"Mo-"

"_Understood_?"

He sighed and closed his eyes. "Perhaps we could discuss this later?"

"That seems like an excellent idea."

He turned to see his father approaching, smiling easily at both of them. Butler nodded at him and took a respectful step back. "Father-" Artemis started.

"You aren't saying you _condone _this?" Angeline demanded, incredulous.

Artemis Senior shrugged. "I'm saying nothing of this plan. I'm simply suggesting you wait to discuss it until Holly and Foaly arrive and a real plan is formulated."

Angeline rolled her eyes, fists clenched, but muttered, "Fine."

His father held out a hand to her and they moved back down the hallway. Artemis Senior threw his son a wink over his shoulder and mouthed, _I'll talk to her_.

Artemis smiled until they were out of sight. Then he leaned against the wall with a heavy exhale, running a hand down his face.

"She's right, you know."

Both Artemis and Butler straightened up and turned to see Viola approaching from the other direction. It seemed she had just come from Connor's room.

"Sorry," she said quietly, pausing. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop or anything, I just caught the end… But she's right." She looked at him fiercely, brown eyes determined. "It's not your problem; the People can track this guy down without you getting involved."

Artemis frowned. "Yes, they are capable, but I would be able to help make the process quicker-"

She was shaking her head, not looking at him. "I can't let you do that," she murmured. "I've already dragged you into this enough. I mean, I'm grateful and everything, but you shouldn't put yourself in the line of fire for us-"

"I'm not doing it for you," he cut her off, then amended, "not _just_ for you and your siblings. This…_doctor_ is an enemy of all the People. If he's left unchecked, there is no telling what he may do."

Their gazes locked for a long moment before she relented. "Alright. It's your choice." She walked by them in silence. Artemis turned his head slightly to watch her go, trying very hard to not worry, or think about what it felt like to hold her against him.

"She seems…off," Butler rumbled. He eyed his young charge suspiciously. "Did something happen between you two?"

"No," Artemis answered automatically, and perhaps too quickly. He winced internally. What was he doing? Was he hiding something? Sort of- but then _what _was he hiding? He had no idea what the "something" that had happened was.

"Mmm." Butler stared him down, entirely unconvinced. Artemis sighed, but before either of them could say anything his communicator beeped.

"Holly and Foaly are about five minutes away," he said, checking it. He started off down the hallway. "We should greet them."

* * *

The occupants of Fowl Manor congregated in the foyer to greet their guests- mostly because no one was quite sure where to put Foaly and all four of his hooves.

"Hello, Foaly!" No1 beamed and hugged the centaur, which was an interesting sight that, despite the situation, brought a small smile to Artemis's face.

"Hey there, it's been a while," Foaly said, grinning as he hugged the little demon back. "You've been so busy lately you never stop by to chat. You and Artemis are the only ones you understand my lectures."

No1 laughed. "Sorry, I'll try to do better."

"Well, I wish we were just here for a social visit, but we really do need to talk." That was Holly, arms crossed over her chest as she watched her two friends. Ever the officer.

"Yes, of course," Artemis Senior murmured. "Why don't we move this into the- ah…parlor?" He cast an unsure glance in Foaly's direction.

The centaur gave him a snarky grin. "Hey, my hooves are clean." Holly elbowed him.

"Of course," Angeline demurred, gesturing for the group to follow her. They did, warily on Viola and her sibling's part. Artemis glanced at them and saw Elizabeth gripping Sam's hand; the older boy tugged her surreptitiously closer. Some strange emotion niggled in the back of his mind, though he couldn't quite identify it. It was almost like envy- but that was ridiculous.

They settled into the parlor in silence. The humans, Holly, and No1 found seats, and Foaly stood by the window, pulling numerous gadgets from a bag he'd slung over one shoulder. Finally, he pressed a few buttons and brought up a revolving image of Dr. Niklos- or, more acurately, Nier Ignacious Kols.

"This," he said, "is the guy we're after. Soon as No1 and the kids here got us an ID, I started tracking, trying to find anyway to trace him." He snorted, annoyed. "Can't even tell you how difficult that was. Tracking a suppose-to-be-dead Mud Man is one thing, but this guy has fairy know how. He's a tricky-"

Here he said a word in Gnomish that made both Holly and No1 chide, "Foaly!" and Artemis blink. The remainder of the room simply looked puzzled by their reactions- except for Viola, who covered her mouth with her hand to hide a smile.

"Well anyway," Foaly continued, unperturbed, "I have a program running now, narrowing down anything that could be a fairy masquerading as a human in Western Europe in the last five years. Slow going, but we're getting there- should have some sort of recent location in the next few hours."

"And then what?" Artemis Senior asked, leaning forward.

"Well." Holly took over. "Then we send a small group to do some recon. If he's not there we keep looking. If he is- we come up with a plan to take him in."

"Who's going to be in this "small group"?" Connor asked quietly. His tone was perfectly even.

"That depends." Holly looked around at the four odd siblings. "I won't say you have to come, but your knowledge of him could be useful."

"Then we'll go," Elizabeth said firmly. The others looked at her. She jutted out her chin stubbornly. "I want him locked away. Forever."

Sam nodded, shifting closer to her to lay his hand on her shoulder. "Aye," Connor murmured. Artemis noticed vaguely that his accent sounded much more strongly of the lilting southern coast than usual. All three looked to Viola, questioning.

She shrugged. "Don't look at me like," she said churlishly, "you can do what you want. I'm not your mother."

Elizabeth's mouth quirked. "Vi- you kind of are." There was a pause, then: "So? Are you coming?"

Viola rolled her eyes and murmured something that sounded like "_Mon Dieu." _She shook her head and smiled. "Of course I am- can't very well leave you ejits to fend for yourself, can I?" The ebb and flow of her voice took on more of its native Welsh than Artemis had yet heard- it sounded almost like she was singing.

"Alright. Then it will be the four of you, me, Foaly…" Holly raised an eyebrow at No1. "And I don't suppose you'll agree to hang back?"

He beamed at her. "Of course not."

She sighed. "Fine, but you obey my orders _to the letter. _Qwan will kill me if so much as get a hangnail."

"Aye aye!" The little demon gave a jaunty salute.

"I guess it's seven then," Foaly said, rubbing his hands.

"Eight," Artemis corrected casually. He gave them his vampire smile, ignoring his mother's withering glare. "You cannot expect me to ignore something this fun."

"_Fun_?" Angeline rose half out of her seat before her husband managed to pull her back down. "Young man, you-"

"Angeline," Artemis Senior said softly. She looked at him, mouth still open to argue. "He's not a boy anymore," he said calmly. Then he shot Artemis a quick, small smile. "He hasn't been for a long time. He can make this decision. Besides, Butler will be with him." The manservant nodded in firm agreement.

"But-" She looked back and forth between her husband and he son several times. Then she let out a long, slow breath, and subsided. "Very well," she said coolly. Then, to Holly and Foaly, "Would you like something to eat? I know it's late, but I'm sure Butler doesn't mind."

"Of course," Butler stood and, as if on cue, so did everyone else. As they filed out into the hallway, Artemis hung back with his parents.

His father clapped him on the shoulder, once, as he moved past and said in almost a whisper, "Talk to your mother." Artemis nodded. His father's grip on his shoulder tightened and he thought he might say something else, but he simply patted his back and left.

"I'm sorry, Mother," he said quietly, moving to stand in front of her. She met his gaze, eyes glimmering. "But I have to do this. I will be alright," he assured her, taking her hands in his. His mouth twitched on one side. "This is positively tame compared to some of our earlier adventures."

She closed her eyes and let out a breath through her nose. "Don't remind me," she muttered. She looked at him, brow crinkling. "Arty…" She drew him close. For perhaps the first time he realized she no longer loomed over him when she hugged him. In act- he almost overtook her in height. "You've gotten so tall," she murmured, echoing his thoughts. "I almost didn't notice." She sighed again and released him, leaving her hands on his shoulders. "I can't lose you again," She said, voice dangerously close to tears.

He smiled, ignoring the guilty squeeze of his heart, and kissed her cheek. "You won't," he promised solemnly.

She smiled slightly in return. "Right. Of course. I believe you." There was silence for a brief moment, then she patted his hair and said lightly, "Let's make sure your friends haven't destroyed the kitchen, shall we?"

**xXx**

Viola practically ran down the hall when she heard Artemis and his mother move toward the door. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop- though she seemed to be doing it a lot lately. She just hadn't wanted to go with the others, afraid they would see through her mask all calm and biting wit. And then she'd heard them talking, and despite telling her feet to move they were frozen to the floor.

_I can't lose you again. _The words echoed through her head as she walked blindly through the manor. _Again_? What did that mean? She was probably referring to when Artemis and Holly had gone to Limbo- he'd told her they'd been gone for three years. But there was something in her voice that made her think it was more than that.

_If something happens to him- to any of them- it's my fault. _She drew up short and squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn't think about this now. She needed to do something mind-numbing, something instinctive…

She opened her eyes and realized she'd somehow arrived at the dojo where she'd encountered Artemis and Butler sparring. A smile curved her lips. Perfect.

* * *

"Huh!"

She hit the dummy hard, exhaling sharply as she did so. The rubber torso wobbled on its stand and she dropped low, evading an imaginary strike. He foot flew out and connected with the second dummy, knocking it over with a clatter. She tucked her head and rolled behind the first dummy, springing up and delivering a punishing pair of punches to where the base of a person's neck would be.

She straightened up and stepped back, panting lightly. Sweat dripped down her forehead into her eyes and trickled to the small of her back. She bent over and put her hands on her knees, breathing deeply. How long had she been doing this? Three hours? Four? She needed water, that was for sure. She turned to the door, intending to go down to the kitchen.

As she did, the door swung open. Artemis stared at her, surprised. "Oh. I'm sorry. I heard noise and thought perhaps Butler-"

"It's fine." She smiled, telling herself it was only slightly forced. "I was just going to get some water. Sorry if I woke you."

He shook his head. "You didn't."

She frowned slightly. "Then what are you doing up? It's late- you should get some sleep before the centaur's doo-hickey tells us where we have to go."

He smirked. "Doo-hickey?" She waved a hand. They were now only a foot or so apart.

"Seriously," she said, moving to brush past him. The sweat was beginning to dry on her skin. "Get some rest."

"I could say the same to you," he said quietly. She shook her head before the words were even fully formed.

"I can't." She wasn't sure why, but the words were fiercely true. "I can't sleep, not now. I can't-" _dream. _The word was on the tip of her tongue, but she held it back. "Good-night, Artemis," she said softly instead, and walked away.

* * *

Foaly called them together again just as the sun was coming up. She hadn't slept at all, instead sitting up in her bed thinking. But she made sure to smile brighter than usual and give her sibling particularly exuberant hugs in the hope they wouldn't notice the circles under her eyes and the unhealthy pallor to her skin.

Of course she couldn't fool Artemis; she saw the quick double glance he gave her, but he didn't say anything. Just looked at her, winter eyes boring into her soul.

"So, what did you find?" Sam asked, sounding more eager than Viola would have supposed. She saw his eyes flash with steel and remembered; seeing the Doctor fall had been his one goal, once.

"The last trace my algorithm can find is in Scotland," Foaly said promptly, tapping a few buttons on a small keyboard attached to his forearm. A projection sprang into the air, a 3D map. A picture of Scotland formed, then spun and shrunk as the view changed. A small red dot gradually became larger, marking a town called "Whitebridge" on the eastern shore of a body of water.

"Loch Ness?" Elizabeth said, eyebrows raised. "Really?"

"Seems like a pretty illogical place for someone…supernatural to hide," Connor observed blithely.

"Illogical or not, that's the last place I can pin him to," Foaly replied.

"Alright, so when do we leave?" Sam asked.

"As soon as everyone can get ready," Holly replied. She looked around at them all. "Can you be in the foyer in an hour?"

There were nods and murmured affirmatives, then they dispersed to pack.

"Why don't I try to get some snacks ready for you all to take?" Angeline suggested. She seemed a bit like a nervous bird, fluttering around the teenagers, searching for a way to be useful.

"Perhaps I should take care of that, Madame," Butler suggested. "The boys should be waking up about now."

"Oh, of course. You're right." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair distractedly. She looked at Artemis, biting her lip. "I wish they'd see you off, but you know what a hassle it is to get them actually out of bed."

He smiled. Viola had to suppress a shudder at the thought. "It's alright," he assured his mother. "We shouldn't be gone longer than a day or so. We'll be home in time for Christmas Eve, I promise."

Viola felt a slight jolt as they hugged. That's right- Christmas. In all the craziness, she'd nearly forgotten. She smiled wryly to herself. While she didn't exactly consider herself a shining example of normalcy, she had a feeling this Christmas would be the strangest she'd ever had.

**xXx**

It didn't feel like an hour before they were all back in the foyer; Holly, Foaly, and No1 had gone to "perfect transportation", and Angeline and Artemis Senior were waving them off at the door. Artemis ignored the tug of guilt, the tiny desire to say he'd changed his mind and was staying home, when his mother hugged him and pulled away with suspiciously bright eyes.

"Just- be careful, right?" she said, staring into his face. She glanced up behind him at Butler. She smiled slightly. "I know you'll watch out for him."

"I will too, if it makes any difference." Viola suddenly appeared at his elbow, giving his mother that sassy little grin.

Angeline laughed, a much truer laugh than he would have expected under the circumstances. "Oh, I don't doubt you will, but sometimes I think _you _may be the one he needs to be careful about."

She had no idea.

"Hey!" Viola exclaimed in mock indignation, frowning theatrically. "I've never in my life conducted myself in a way that doesn't befit a perfect lady," she sniffed.

Artemis raised an eyebrow at her, and Elizabeth, approaching her sister's other side, chuckled, "Do you remember that time the boys got into your underwear drawer-?"

"Ah ah ah!" Viola clapped a hand over the other girl's mouth. "Point. Taken." She released Elizabeth and shooed her toward the door, where their brothers were waiting. "Go on. The fairies are probably getting impatient with us." Her sister giggled and bounced away.

Angeline laughed again, then suddenly pulled Viola to her for a hug. Artemis saw the girl freeze in his mother's grip as though she wasn't quite sure how to react. Then, hesitantly, she returned the embrace with all the care of diffusing a bomb.

"You be safe, little horse whisperer," Angeline said as she released the girl. Viola nodded, evidently still a little off balance, and smiled shyly.

"Right. Well, we'd better be off." Butler clapped one hand to Artemis's shoulder and the other to Viola's. He nodded to Angeline and rumbled, "We'll be back soon, Madame."

There was a last flurry of hugs and kisses, then they were out the door and on the drive. Viola's siblings stood in front of long black car, a limousine really, looking completely nonplussed. Connor looked over his shoulder as they approached.

"Ah- this is our ride?" he asked, eyes wide.

Holly, sticking her head out of the passenger seat window, answered, "Of course. Are you gonna just stand there all day or get in?"

Artemis frowned, looking around at them. "What is the problem?"

"Problem?" Elizabeth sputtered, staring at him with very round eyes. "No problem. This is-"

"Sweet," Sam finished her sentence, grinning wolfishly. He grabbed her hand and swung open the car door, exclaiming as he pulled her in, "Dude, there's a _fridge_!"

Connor gave a whoop and clambered in after them. Artemis heard a muffled, "Sorry, Foaly," and assumed the teens had somehow fallen over the centaur, who was probably sitting in some sort of modified seat on one side of the vehicle.

Artemis glanced at Viola, one eyebrow creeping up. She laughed, shaking her head. "You know, in a lot of ways you lead a charmed life, rich boy," she said with a grin as she climbed in after her siblings.

To his complete bewilderment, he heard a soft chuckle behind him. Looking up at Butler, he questioned wryly, "Et tu, Brute?"

"Sorry, Artemis," his bodyguard said as he held the door open for him, "but she really seems to have you pegged. Who'd have thought?"

Artemis slid onto the limo seat and caught a flash of smile and sparkling, dark eyes. "Who indeed?" he murmured.

* * *

Because they were traveling by day and sticking to human methods, the trip to Whitebridge- which involved a ferry that fascinated Viola and her siblings almost as much as the limo- took several hours. When they finally did arrive, Butler drove the limo to a smallish guest house near the edge of the town, which he explained he had rented once he'd learned of their destination.

"Wow. They let you rent with that little notice?" Connor asked, a can of some sort of soft drink in his hand. He and same seemed quite taken with the mini fridge.

Butler grinned in the rear view mirror as he parked. "It's amazing how persuasive money can be," he said easily. He got out of the car and waited for the fairies to shield before saying, "Holly and I will do a quick scan of the house. Don't move until we're back." Then they were gone.

"Bit paranoid," Elizabeth commented. At some point during the ride she had fallen asleep across Sam's lap; his arm rested over her waist.

"Not really," Viola muttered. Something dark flashed in her eyes that gave Artemis pause. He was strongly reminded once again how very little he really knew about this girl.

Luckily, Holly and Butler returned shortly, ushering No1 and Foaly into the house under the guise of their shields before signaling for the humans to enter.

"It'll do for a night or two," the huge man said as they stepped through the door. Artemis looked around. It was a nice enough place, a bit modest, but bright and clean. They stood in a larger room that seemed to be joint living space and kitchen. There was hallway to the right, with a staircase just inside it and several doors along its length.

Viola took a breath, shifting her backpack on her shoulders. "I like it," she announced, smiling softly. "It's happy."

**xXx**

It was noon by the time everyone got settled in. There were four bedrooms, two on the first floor and two on the second. Foaly proclaimed he'd be more comfortable sleeping on all fours in the back room behind the kitchen area, so the boys took one downstairs room and Holly and No1 took the other. Artemis and Butler shared the first room off the stairs on the second floor, and Viola and Lizzie took the second.

"Whew." Lizzie dumped her bag onto one of the twin beds and proceeded to collapse onto it. "I'm beat. It's amazing how tired a car ride can make you."

Viola laughed, lobbing a pillow at her. "It's barely noon. Besides, you slept most of the ride anyway."

"I have a delicate constitution," Liz defended herself before chucking the pillow back with enough force to knock the air from Viola's body.

"Delicate my ass," she wheezed when she got her breath back. "Come on, Babe Ruth, let's go see if the last tenants left something in the cabinets."

They hadn't, unfortunately, but Butler offered to make a run to grab "provisions." Apparently, he was alright leaving his charge in the care of Holly Short for an hour or two.

"Perhaps you lot can come up with some sort of plan while I'm gone," he said before leaving.

The fairies and teenagers were clustered around a wooden table that was halfway in the kitchen and halfway in the living room. "So…what is the plan?" Connor asked, tilting his head like a curious dog.

"I do a basic sensing," No1 said promptly. "Look for magic, to see if there are any other People in the area. If there is, it's probably Niklos. Excuse me, Kols."

"But that isn't very likely," Holly cut in. "Most probable scenario: we don't find him, but we find traces. We then use those traces to get a better grasp of his location."

"Alright." Sam looked around at them. "So how long does this sensing thing take?"

No1 sighed. "A while, unfortunately. I have to enter a sort of trance. Because I'm looking for a specific person, the process is more fine-tuned and so takes longer."

"I'm working on a method to mechanize the whole thing," Foaly added, "but at the moment- we're talking at least four or five hours."

There was an almost imperceptible sigh around the table. None of the occupants of the house were found of sitting around, not if there was a job to be done.

Viola gripped her scar under the table. They were so close. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to get closer. She knew they had to, in order to put that madman away, but the idea of meeting him face to face again sent a shiver up her spine. She squeezed her arm, nails biting into her skin, and said cheerfully, "Well if that's the case, I'm gonna take a nap," and stood.

"I'll see if I can find some cookbooks. I think I saw some in the back of the pantry," Connor said.

Holly smiled at them. "Alright. Foaly will keep running his programs and No1 will do his thing; until we know something new, why don't you all just relax a bit?"

Liz laughed, dry. "Honey, have you met us? We don't do _relax._"

"I do," Viola said, quirking an eyebrow. She cuffed the other girl lightly on the head. "Come on, why don't you and Sam lie in the grass watching the clouds or something else sappy couples do."

Lizzie stuck her tongue out at her and batted her hand away. "Go take your nap," she grumbled at Viola chuckled and headed for the stairs.

"We'll wake you if something important happens," Sam added. She waved at them and disappeared up the stairs.

* * *

Of course she didn't sleep. She'd just needed an excuse to lie on her bed, alone, and think for a moment. She wasn't sure how long that moment last- maybe twenty minutes? The sleeve of her sweater was rolled up, showing the full expanse of the scar that ravaged her skin. She frowned slightly as she looked at it. By all rights that much damage should have bled her out. It was hard to believe the cut had really been a result of fuzzy consciousness and addled nerves.

She sighed, rolling over to face the wall and curling up on her side. "Damn him," she murmured into the coverlet, hand clenching in the fabric. There was a soft knock at the door and she started slightly.

"Jeez, can't I take a nap, Liz?" she called with halfhearted annoyance.

"It's me." Artemis.

"Oh." Her eyes went wide for a moment but she didn't move. She'd thought she didn't want to be around people at the moment, but it was hard to ignore the way something sat up inside her and begged like an eager puppy at the sound of his voice. "Ah- come in," she called, rolling to face the door.

He entered as silently as usual, leaving the door cracked open behind him. He just stared at her for a moment, arms crossed over his chest and eyes serious. "I didn't think you'd really sleep," he said eventually. "How long has it been?"

She shrugged. "Doesn't matter, I'm fine." She sat up a bit, watching him. "Is that it? You just wanted to see if I was actually sleeping?"

He shrugged, glancing away from her. "I…was worried," he said quietly. She tried to ignore the jolt of happiness that he worried for her. He took a step toward the bed, then hesitated.

"Go on, sit down." She beckoned him forward and he sat on the edge of the bed. "So you came to rescue me from my isolation?" she said with wide eyes, leaning toward him. "Well aren't you my prince charming."

He snorted and shook his head. One side of his moth quirked up dryly. "Believe me, Viola, I'm no prince charming."

"Oh?" she leaned back a bit. There was something in his tone that caught her attention. "What are you then?"

His sardonic smile widened. "Probably the villain, despite my recent efforts."

She blinked, surprised. "Why?"

He looked at her, mouth open, but no sound came out. After a moment he sighed softly and dropped his eyes to his knees. "I'm not exactly…always…a good person," he said quietly.

Something in his profile, in his tone, resonated with her. Her heart ached strangely. She shifted a bit closer to him and brushed the back of his hand with her fingertips. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and she murmured, "Talk to me."

"I kidnapped Holly."

Her eyebrows went up. Well, she wasn't sure what she'd expected, but it wasn't that.

"You asked how we met," he continued. "Well- here it is." Slowly, he began to tell her how he'd been obsessed with magic, with the idea of catching a fairy and using its gold to fund an expedition to look for his father. He told her how he and Butler had imprisoned Holly, how he had negotiated with Commander Root, how Foaly had put the manor in a time stop. About the troll, Cudgeon's betrayal, the gold, his mother- everything. Some of the names were familiar from his other stories and she hung on every word, building a better picture of him with each little detail.

When he finally stopped talking she realized she'd been holding her breath. She let it out slowly and stared into his face. He wasn't looking at her, eyes fixed instead on the wall. "Well," she said quietly, "that was…a lot." He smiled wryly and she added, "But I didn't hear anything that makes me think you're not a good person."

He looked at her, brow furrowed slightly. Before he could say anything though, she added, "Besides, who needs a prince charming?" She smiled at him and leaned in to kiss his cheek, whispering against his skin, "I've always thought the villains were sexier anyway."

She felt more than heard him chuckle. He turned his head slightly to brush his lips against hers, reaching up to skate his fingers over her cheekbone. She shivered agreeably and shifted closer, wrapping her hands around his neck. The kiss deepened, heat rushing through it, and his arms went around her back. They were pressed together, as close as they could get, and Viola suddenly realized she never wanted to move.

_Of all the crazy, inexplicable things in my life, _she thought fuzzily, _This may be the best._


	14. Nessie Rescue

**NESSIE RESCUE**

* * *

Most of the house was just sitting to eat dinner- some sort of chicken salad that Connor had helped Butler prepare- when No1 finished his sensing.

"He's not here," the demon said dejectedly, climbing onto the empty chair between Viola and Artemis- the chair that she was trying very hard to ignore, telling herself it was a kind of buffer zone.

_Not like I can't keep my hands to myself or anything, _her cynical side quipped. She gave it a sharp slap upside the head and booted it to the back of her subconscious.

"Well damn," Sam muttered. Liz and Connor made small noises of agreement.

"So, is that it?" Viola asked, looking around at the fairies. "Job done, we leave in the morning?"

"Not quite," Holly answered, wrinkling her nose a bit in what seemed like irritation at the situation. "Any leftover traces, No1?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Around the loch itself, actually, which I thought was a bit odd. I'd need more extensive data to tell you what exactly was going on though."

"There we are then," Foaly said. He had opted to eat standing at the head of the table. "We hook the Mud Kids up with some sensors, give 'em a coms unit and send them out on a boat for an hour or two. Easy as winking."

Lizzie raised a hand, frowning. "'Scuse me- don't we get a say? And why can't you do it?"

Foaly sighed and spoke slowly, as though speaking to a young child, "We can't do it because the loch is a major tourist area- one for the supernatural at that. We can't afford to draw attention; even shielding might be notice by some sharp eyes monster fanatic. You four on the other hand-" here he waved to indicate the siblings- "should blend right in."

Connor snorted softly. "Either you don't know what "blend in" means or I'm insulted." Viola chuckled to herself and thought she saw a smile flash across Artemis's face. Their eyes met for a fraction of a second and she felt her cheeks heat up a few degrees.

"I will go as well," Butler put in calmly. "Four unsupervised teenagers may draw more attention than you think."

"And I'm coming," Artemis put it. "I'll be more help out there than sitting around twiddling my thumbs until you all get back."

Holly, more and more the evident officer in command, nodded in agreement. "Alright then. Maybe after dinner you can make some calls to rent a boat, Butler?"

The huge man nodded acquiescence.

"I'll help Foaly with setting the sensors," No1 put in, mood apparently lifted now that an actual plan was forming.

"Maybe I can fiddle with the controls of the boat, just so we don't have some nosy Mud Man captain getting in the way," Foaly mused.

"So- what do we do?" Viola asked, looking around the table.

"Not fall in," Foaly replied, smirking.

**xXx**

The next day was heavily overcast and _cold. _Artemis and the others stood shivering on the forward deck of a small boat, Butler double checking the controls to make sure Foaly's tinkering wouldn't crash them into the side of the loch.

"So, these sensors will tell No1 what kind of magic is happening around here?" Viola asked, twisting the small computer disguised as a bracelet around her wrist.

"That's right." Foaly answered through the communications devices in all their ears. Viola started and Connor blinked in surprise.

"Keep forgetting I have this in," Connor laughed, shaking his head slightly.

"Well, if we're gonna be on this boat for the next couple of _hours,_" Sam muttered as Butler approached, looking satisfied, "at least we have voices in our heads to keep us from going crazy."

Elizabeth laughed and bumped him with her hip. Artemis couldn't help the small smile that crept across his face as he watched them.

"Least it's a nice day," Viola added sarcastically, withdrawing further into her jacket.

Artemis chuckled, looking at her. "At least you're wearing a coat for once," he said, quirking an eyebrow.

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Well aren't you two adorable." Elizabeth said, stepping in between the two of them to lean against the railing. She smirked at her sister. "Vi, you little flirt-" she stopped suddenly and her eyes went wide. "Oh my God- you're _blushing!_"

"I am not!" Viola glanced away, but not before Artemis caught a glimpse of the color in her cheeks.

He looked down at the still, dark water. _Elizabeth is just teasing, _he told himself firmly. Never mind how close to home that teasing hit.

"I don't think I've ever s_een _you blush!" Elizabeth exclaimed, delighted.

"I'm not blushing, I'm _cold,_" Viola retorted.

"Ah, leave her alone, Lizzie," Connor said, coming up on Viola's other side and wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

Elizabeth laughed and raised her hands in defeat, backing off.

"Not that this isn't fascinating," Foaly cut in dryly, "but perhaps you all could focus on the task at hand?"

"Sorry," all four teens muttered. Viola pulled a face and mouthed, _Killjoy. _

"I think the sensors might be picking up something!" No1's voice rose with excitement, tinny in their ears. "Yes! Wait- no. False alarm, sorry. Maybe if you all stood closer to the edge?"

"I thought we were told _not t_o fall in," Sam muttered petulantly as they all shuffled closer to the deck rail. Viola gave him a gentle punch on the arm.

Artemis alternated between watching the water and glancing surreptitiously at Viola. She was tired; despite her smiles and cold-colored cheeks, there were dark lines under her eyes and her skin had gone from fair to pale. Her face was drawn, unhealthy. He didn't think she'd slept the night before.

Of course, thinking about that led to thinking about being in her room during her "nap". And that led to an uncomfortable heat in his cheeks and the inability to make eye contact with another person. So he went back to staring at the water, listening to the increasingly annoying sound of Foaly humming in his earpiece.

After a while- about an hour or so- the semi-cheerful mood began to die down. Viola and her siblings spread along the deck, staring listlessly at the surface of the loch. Artemis heard Butler approach from behind him and nodded over his shoulder at the bodyguard.

"Well this is simply fascinating," the big man rumbled, arms crossed as he stared out over the water.

"Actually, in many ways it is," Artemis said, ignoring the sarcasm. "Loch Ness has always been a site of human fascination, but the People have played their part here as well." He paused, thinking. "Perhaps that is what drew Kols here. He may have been attracted to the mystery of the place as many before him were."

Elizabeth, walking along the rail, snorted as she drew close enough to hear. "Unless the Loch Ness Monster can be controlled through torture, I don't he was interested," she muttered.

Before anyone could think of a way to respond to that their coms units buzzed.

"That reminds me- you should be careful of the water horses," Holly said in their ears. "They aren't aggressive, and they keep away from humans, but they might sense your magic and be curious."

"Water horses?" Connor asked quietly. He approached as well, Sam on his heels. Viola seemed to be the only one uninterested, staying in her place by the starboard rail.

"What most of the world calls the Loch Ness Monster," Artemis explained. Next to krakens, his most extensive research on magical creatures had been the creatures of Loch Ness, once Holly had slipped up and confirmed they actually existed.

Sam held up a hand. "Wait- _Nessie_ _exists_?"

Artemis sighed and Foaly's voice said exasperatedly, "Not exactly, Mud Man. The water horses are a rare and shy species, but they are certainly more than one "Nessie". There's maybe a hundred in Loch Ness, but that's the extent of the population."

"A hundred," Lizzie repeated, staring at the black water around them. She swallowed audibly. "Ah- just how big are they?"

"Fair sized," No1 said in their earpieces. "But Holly's right, you shouldn't have to worry-"

The words barely registered before Viola, who had continued to lean out over the rail during the quiet conversation, suddenly pitched forward toward the water.

"Vi!" Sam and Artemis, closest to her, reached her at the same time and managed to grab the back of her jacket. For a long, painful moment time seemed to stop; they gripped the fabric tightly and Viola leaned ever further out towards the freezing black water. A strange sound seemed to be coming from her chest or throat, something like the moaning of a whale's call punctuated with the sharp staccato of dolphin chatter.

Then her weight carried her forward, her arms slipping out of her jacket, and she plunged into the loch.

**xXx**

The shock of the cold water brought Viola out of the strange fog she'd been in, just in time for her to realize, _I'm going to die. _She had fallen into Loch Ness in December- there was no way out of this; her arms and legs refused to move properly to propel her to the surface. She could barely see the cold winter light through the black water above her.

Then the light was gone entirely. She was sinking, drowning. Her lungs cried out for air, her body for warmth. It must only have been a few seconds since she'd fallen, but it felt like an eternity.

Something touched her foot. Something smooth and slick and surprisingly warm. And she remembered. She remembered why she'd leaned so far over the water, what had been calling to her. Using every last scrap of energy she possessed, she forced her throat to make sound, a call that was part whale song, part dolphin laughter, and part something else entirely.

"Please," she begged, "help me."

For a moment nothing happened. Then the slick body brushed past her legs again. Suddenly it was behind her. She felt powerful jaws clamp down on the back of her shirt. Then they were shooting through the water, up, up, up, bursting through to the surface, to the light and the air.

She gasped, feeling as though her lungs had contracted to the size of lima beans. She was so cold her body didn't feel real.

Shouting permeated her foggy state, bringing her attention to the small boat she hung suspended over in the mouth of a water horse. Slowly, carefully, the great creature lowered her down to the deck, arching her sinuous neck over the rail.

"Th-thank y-y-you," she chattered as her feet touched the deck and her knees gave out.

"Viola!" Someone was holding her, calling her name, wrapping her in a warm, dry blanket that felt three feet thick. That same someone vigorously rubbed her arms, trying to dry her off and warm her up.

"A-Artemis," she managed to force out, curling into his chest.

"You idiot," he said, arms coming around her tightly. His voice was shaking with anger and…something else. "What _possessed _you? You could have _died!_"

"I heard th-them calling," she said, looking up at him. She noticed vaguely that Butler and her siblings had gathered behind them, gazes switching sporadically from her and Artemis to something over their heads. "I couldn't really make it out, I thought if I was c-closer-"

"_Idiot_!" Artemis shouted again, and brought his lips crashing down on hers. The kiss was wild and desperate, a kind of passion she'd never expected of him. The heat was welcome, and she found herself suddenly able to move enough to grip the front of his shirt, pressing herself closer to the warmth of his body. His hold tightened and she realized that he was shaking, just a little. After a few seconds or several years he broke away and shook her slightly. "Don't you ever scare me like that again," he said fiercely. "Do you hear me, Viola Sommers?"

She nodded, too tired from her gradual reheating to put up much of a fight. "I hear you."

"Good." He kissed her again, more gently this time.

"_Ah-hem._"

They both remembered at the same moment that they had an audience. Viola looked up at their companions and muttered softly, "Oops." Artemis froze, then rose stiffly to his feet, bringing her with him as she was still wrapped in the blanket in his arms.

Sam and Connor were gaping at them in open amazement, ignoring the still hovering water horse in favor of the spectacle on deck. Liz was blinking rapidly, but a slow smile was starting to spread across her face. Even Butler looked more than a little surprised.

"How- wh-what?" Sam managed to sputter out.

Viola was feeling more like herself and she pushed away from Artemis (not too far though). "Not the time," she told her brother as she turned to face the water horse.

The creature was mostly submerged, just her long neck arched out of the water as she watched them all with large, black eyes. Her skin was molted grayish blue, and Viola knew it felt like dolphin skin to the touch. She also knew, as much as from touch in the water as sight, that the water horse was shaped mostly like a giant serpent, with two large, curved fins where her neck met her body; her body itself narrowed into a tail that had a single, large fin, again like a dolphin's. But it was her head that gave her species its name; it was shaped very much like a horse's, sans the ears and with much larger eyes. She lowered her head and blew out through the horizontal slits that were her nostrils, creating an almost musical moan.

Viola smiled at her. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you very much for rescuing me."

The water horse made a low clicking sound in her chest. She was glad Viola was okay; she felt it was her fault the girl had fallen in, she was the one who had been calling so loudly.

"Don't worry about it," Viola assured her. "I'm sorry, but even after all that I didn't quite get what you were saying before. Is someone hurt?"

Yes. Her calf. He was only three months old, and he was her first. He and the other younglings had been playing too close to shore and, when they'd heard a boat coming, he'd dashed himself against the rocks in his hast to get away. She feared he may have broken his tail- being unable to swim was death to a water horse.

"Her baby is hurt," Viola relayed to the others. "We need to help."

* * *

"Alright. Thanks, Trouble." Holly disconnected from the projection Foaly had set up back in the guest house. She turned to smile at them. "Okay, they're sending a team to heal the calf and make sure he and his mother are doing alright for the next week or so."

Viola let out a sigh, sinking back onto the floral patterned couch. She had three blankets wrapped around her and still felt cold. "Thank you," she murmured with relief. Her eyelids were so heavy…

"Ah ah ah, miss." Holly was suddenly standing right in front of her, arms folded. "You aren't quite out of the woods yet. No sleeping until No1 checks to make sure hypothermia hasn't set in."

"But he checked already. _And _gave me a jolt of that ultra-healing whatever." She knew she was whining but she didn't care.

"Every half hour for three hours. That's procedure," Artemis said from his place next to the couch. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Fine, fine," she muttered, letting the demon fuss over her.

"You really are a class A idiot, you know that?" Connor told her easily, sitting next to her and squeezing her shoulders. She yawned.

"Oh, I'm fine," she said as No1 backed off, patting her arm and smiling.

"Yeah, thanks to a worried mother water horse," Lizzie commented.

"Hmph." Sam was standing on the other side of the room, glaring at Artemis. He hadn't said much since Aleya- that was as near as Viola could translate the water horse's name- had plopped her back on deck.

Viola sighed exasperatedly, narrowing her eyes at him. "Will you stop moping and just spit out what's bothering you?" she demanded.

He glowered at her. "You know very well what's bothering me," he snapped back.

"Oooookaaaay…this is getting uncomfortable," No1 said quietly, back towards the stairs.

Foaly coughed. "Yeah, I uh- think I left the stove on." He clopped quickly from the room.

"I'm sorry," Viola said to the remainder of the room, "could we have a minute?"

"Of course." Artemis nodded politely as he, Holly, and Butler moved to leave. His eyes met hers for a moment, worried and still a little angry. She winced internally. _That _was going to be a fun conversation later.

Then she turned her attention to her siblings, eyes narrowing. "Well?" she prompted.

"You're an idiot," Sam replied curtly.

Liz winced. "Well. That's a little harsh…"

"No it isn't," Sam snapped back, gray eyes practically sparking with anger. "This is stupid and you know it. We can't trust him- we can't trust anyone! Not really. Sure, they'll help us get Kols, but then what? We'll be experiments again!"

Viola shook her head. "You're wrong," she said calmly. "I've spent time with these people. I may not know everything about them, but I know that they're- basically- good. I never would have led them to you if I thought you'd be in danger, you know that. I _do _trust them, Sam. At least, I trust Artemis."

Sam snorted derisively. "Oh great. Well, forgive me for not putting absolute faith in your little boy toy. I mean, he's got a pretty sweet deal- a willing test subject and a little tail on the side-"

_SMACK._

Lizzie and Connor both gasped. Sam stared at her, mouth agape and cheek starting to redden.

Viola stood in front of him, still clutching a blanket around her shoulders. Her breathing was heavier than usual; honestly she was just as surprised as the others, still not quite able to believe that it was her hand still raised as though prepared to hit him again.

"Enough," she growled, wrestling her anger back under control. "I'm not a child, Samuel, and you aren't my father." She sighed, closing her eyes and letting her hand drop. "I love you," she muttered, "all of you. But this is _my _life; I won't let you make my decisions for me." She brushed past him, heading for the stairs. Then she paused. "I'm sorry I hit you," she said over her shoulder, "And I'm sorry me and Artemis…whatever it is, upsets you." she took a breath, then mumbled. "Now come on, let's start packing. Holly said we'll be heading back to the manor in an hour."

* * *

The return trip to Fowl Manor passed mostly in awkward silence. No1 and Foaly jabbered away about the data the kids _had _managed to get, but everyone else sat staring out the windows. Viola was stewing in a combination of guilt, dying frustration, and slowly growing embarrassment.

Oh, and thoughts of Alleya and her calf. Yeah, that had definitely been a new experience.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that the trip pasted in a timeless fog. She was actually surprised when she felt the limo hum to a stop and Holly said, "Here we are then."

"Finally," Liz muttered, practically bolting from the car. The others followed more sedately. They had barely made it halfway up the drive before the door flew open and twin whirlwinds can rushing out to meet them.

"Welcome back!"

Artemis chuckled and bent to hug his brothers before Beckett began tearing around, weaving through the group's legs. Myles rolled his eyes at his brother. "Mother is coming-" he began.

"Arty!" Angeline's welcoming cry cut him off. She followed her sons' lead and descended to the drive, followed by her beaming husband.

"I was only gone a day, Mother," Artemis complained as she hugged him. Viola grinned at the sight.

"And you!" Suddenly Angeline was upon her, a smothering presence of motherly affection. She was hugged so tight she thought she might pop, and Madam Fowl exclaimed, "Dear Lord, when Butler called and told us you fell in-!"

"Oh." Viola blushed. She hadn't realized her adventures in the loch had already been relayed. "It's not a big deal, really. I'm fine," she mumbled, awkwardly hugging the older woman back.

"Well, I'm glad you're alright," she said, smiling warmly.

"Why don't we move this inside?" Artemis Senior suggested. "It's too cold to stand around out here."

"Actually, I think we'll be heading out," Holly said apologetically, indicating herself, Foaly, and No1. "We have reports to make, you know. And we don't want to encroach on your holidays." She smiled.

"Are you sure? We don't mind you staying," Artemis said.

She waved him off. "No, no, really. We're needed back underground." She moved forward to hug him. "I'll keep you updated," she promised. Then she turned to Viola and added, "And you."

To her surprise, the elf wrapped her arms around her waist. It was a casual hug, just friendly, but it still surprised her. "Getting a lot of hugs today," she muttered as Holly backed away.

The fairies exchanged the rest of their farewells as Artemis's parents ushered the teens and Butler into the manor. They were brought to the parlor, Artemis and Butler explaining what had happened on their little adventure as they walked. Myles was interested in how Foaly had rigged the boat's controls, and Beckett wanted to know more about the water horses.

"Are they really big?" he asked Viola, wide-eyed.

She shrugged, leaning against a wall. The only available seat was next to Sam, and she wasn't quite ready for that yet. "Pretty big. Big enough that Aleya's head was about half the size of my body."

"Whoa." His brow furrowed slightly. "But why did you get in the water? Wasn't it _really _cold?"

She laughed and Liz snorted softly. "I fell in," she confided, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "This is why you should always listen to your parents when they tell you not to get to close to water's edge, huh?"

Beckett giggled and Angeline mouthed, _Thank you_, from across the room. She winked.

* * *

Story time lasted maybe an hour, Artemis explaining the finer points of the data gathering method used by the fairies. When his parents seemed satisfied with the explanation, Viola and her siblings sort of trickled away. She realized the boy had gotten hardly a moment to just be with his family since he'd brought her to the manor, and she felt a bit guilty. A subtle jerk of her head toward the door was all it took to get the others moving.

"I'm gonna head out to the kennels, check on Rosie and the pups," she told them.

Lizzie nodded. "M'kay. You still gonna be there in fifteen minutes or so? I want to grab a snack, but who can turn down puppies?" she grinned.

Viola chuckled, glad her sister didn't seem to put out with the fact that she'd slapped her boyfriend. "Yeah sure. See you in a bit."

"I'm going with her, I'm starved," Connor said as she headed toward the kitchen

Viola nodded and moved toward the front door, but a hand on her arm stopped her. Sam. She tilted her head just a bit to look back at him. His eyes were on the floor. "Look- can we talk for a second?"

She nodded and waited for him to go on.

"I…was out of line," he muttered eventually. "You're right. I'm not your dad, I don't have any right to comment on- whatever it is the two of you have. So, I'm sorry."

She blinked, a little surprised. The Sam from their days in Niklos's house never would have been able to say all that. The boy had grown up. "It's fine," she said, smiling. "For the record, I was out of line too, I overreacted." She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "You're not my dad Sam, but you are my family. You're perfectly allowed to have your own opinions about…stuff like this."

He snorted. "As long as I'm not a dick about it, right?"

She grinned at him. "Right." Twisting slightly, she rocked onto her toes to kiss his cheek, then patted his arm. "Now go on, you know how Liz is about food."

He chuckled and nodded, then followed after Connor and Lizzie. She smiled, feeling lighter, and headed out to the kennel.

**xXx**

Artemis spent more time than he had planned talking with his parents. It was oddly relaxing after recent events (not _all _of which were shared). Still, both were busy and soon the group separated.

"I believe I'll go find Juliet and the boys," Artemis decided as he left the parlor with Butler on his heels.

"Alright," was his bodyguard's only response.

Artemis looked at him sideways. He had been even more silent than usual for the past few hours. And it wasn't a comfortable silence either. "Ah- is there something…bothering you?" he asked cautiously.

Butler looked at him as though surprised. "What? No, of course not." Then he seemed to realize why Artemis was asking and added, "Sorry, I've been…preoccupied."

Artemis arched an eyebrow. "With…?"

Butler raised an eyebrow of his own. "Your pretty little linguist, actually."

Artemis felt his face heat. Oh. That. He cleared his throat awkwardly and muttered. "I assume you are referring to Miss Sommers, and if so I feel I must assert that she is not _my _anything."

Butler snorted. "No offense Artemis, but it seemed like the two of you were a bit past the whole "Miss" and "Mister" thing."

Well, if his face hadn't been red before it certainly was now. "Er-" he said, wincing internally. Er? _Really_? Could he come up with nothing better?

To his surprise, Butler clapped him heartily on the shoulder, chuckling. "Don't get so flustered. You know, this is actually pretty normal for a boy your age." He paused, then added, "Just… maybe not _you._"

Artemis scowled at him. "Believe me, old friend, I am well aware."

Butler chuckled again. "I have to hand it to her though- it takes a very interesting girl to get your attention. So." He raised both eyebrows. "How long has this been going on exactly?"

Artemis blinked, completely bemused. Not only did the manservant seem to be taking this very well in stride; now he was asking _questions_? About him and Viola no less. "It hasn't really- we aren't-" he stopped, completely at a loss. Something that was happening more frequently recently, and he didn't like it. "A few days, I suppose," he admitted eventually. Then he added, frowning, "I'm surprised you made no mention of this to Mother and Father, given your apparent interest."

Butler shrugged. "IT's not my place to tell them, Artemis," he said seriously.

The boy sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yes, yes, of course." He might have said something else, but at that moment a voice called out to them from the hallway leading to the kitchen.

"Hey, Artemis, Butler!"

Both turned to see Viola's siblings approaching, much livelier than they'd been on the return trip to the manor. "Yes? May we help you?" he asked, brow furrowing slightly. While the other teenagers had never been rude to him, they had seemed wary.

"We were just about to head out to the kennels to see Vi," Elizabeth said brightly. "Care to join us?"

Before he could answer, Connor caught his sister's arm. "Actually," he said stepping forward and lowering his voice, "Could I ask something?"

Confused, Artemis nodded. "Of course."

The other boy sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look, I know it's not exactly my place, but Vi- something's up, something she's not telling us." A tiny smile flashed across his face and he added, "Besides you two being all- anyway." Artemis exerted a conscious effort to keep his face passive. "Well, I was wondering if you could talk to her maybe? I'm not sure what good it'll do, but she isn't talking to us and- she trusts you I guess, so…" he trailed off, looking a bit awkward.

Artemis was in completely sympathy. "I, ah. I suppose I could, um…" Words weren't formulating properly in his head.

"Of course he'll talk to her," Butler said abruptly, laying a hand on his charge's shoulder.

Connor visibly sagged with relief. "Thanks. I'm sorry, it's just…"

"We're worried about her," Elizabeth said, eyes wide and pleading. She added in almost a whisper, "I don't think she slept at all last night, and she's not eating as much as she should…"

Artemis had noticed those things too, but now that someone said them aloud they seemed suddenly more sinister. "I…would be happy to talk with her," he said after a moment, then shrugged. "Though I'm not sure what good it will do."

"Well, she isn't talking to any of us, so you're our last option," Sam said bluntly. Elizabeth elbowed him and he winced.

"Is it alright if we look around the manor a bit more then?" she asked, looking between him and Butler. "Give you guys a minute to talk?"

"Of course. Perhaps we'll be able to collect Juliet and the boys along the way," Butler said, leading them off after giving Artemis a definite shove in the right direction. Artemis glowered after them for a moment.

"No privacy," he muttered.

* * *

As her siblings had indicated, Viola was in the kennel. He found her on the floor, surrounded by five butterballs of fluffy auburn puppy, a very content Rosie lying next to her with her head on her front paws. She lifted her head and wagged her tail slightly when Artemis entered, and Viola looked up.

"Oh." She smiled softly at him. "Hello. Care to join us?"

His lips twitched in response and he settled himself onto the floor about a foot away from her. Immediately three puppies leapt at him, harrying his legs and licking excitedly at the fingers he offered them to sniff. "Ho there, little one," he said with a laugh as one made an exuberant jump for his lap and went sprawling across the floor to his left. He righted the little animal and rubbed his ears.

"That's Copper," Viola told him, eyes warm as she looked at the pup. "Beckett named him. This is Daisy," she added, gesturing to the pup cradled on her own lap. She pointed to each of the other three in turn. "Thorn, Calla, and Poppy."

"Good names," Artemis said softly, lifting the pup called Calla up. She wriggled and yapped, happily licking at his chin. He wrinkled his nose and place her on his lap.

"Rosie likes them," Viola said easily, stroking the mother dog's head.

A thought suddenly occurred to Artemis. On impulse, he asked, "Did Rosie have her own names for the pups?"

Viola looked at him, eyes wide with surprise. A smile spread across her face. "No, not exactly. Most animals don't use names, see? Not the way humans do. Horses, dogs, cats, birds- they all identify each other more by senses than by a random collection of syllables. Scent, sight, touch…that's how you know who's pack, who's herd. Not names. But that's not to say they don't understand individual identity." She added thoughtfully, "Honestly, those water horses are _wicked _smart. I only talked to Aleya for a minute but damn… they have a _society _Artemis, more complex than any herd or pack or pride. And they have names! Not just for themselves, but for other species, places, seasons- I've never met an animal whose mind worked that way." She suddenly flushed and dropped her eyes. "Sorry," she murmured, "I'm rambling."

He shook his head. "I don't mind. I find the way you view the world fascinating."

Her blush deepened but she smiled. They sat in companionable silence for a few moments, watching the pups jump all over themselves and their mother.

"Viola…" he said after a while. There were many things he wanted to talk about, but he wasn't sure where to start. He finally decided on: "I…apologize if I caused friction between you and your brother."

She shook her head quickly. "No, it's not your fault. He just gets a little overprotective sometimes, that's all. We talked, we're okay now."

"Oh. Good." That explained why Sam had looked quite so murderous earlier. Well, onto the next topic then. "Well then-"

"I'm sorry," she blurted out.

He blinked and stared at her. "Excuse me?"

"I'm sorry," she repeated, looking at her lap. "I know I was stupid today, I should have been more careful. I didn't mean to- I know you were worried, but I didn't want you to-" she stopped and took a breath, evidently struggling with how to put her thoughts into words.

Her perplexed and frustrated expression was- he could find no other word for it- frankly adorable. A smile tugged at his lips and he impulsively leaned forward, taking her shoulders and pulling her into a hug. A bit surprised at his own boldness, he nevertheless dropped a kiss on the top of her head and murmured, "Ridiculous creature," affectionately into her hair.

She was frozen for a moment, caught off guard. Then she shifted closer, bringing her arms up around his back and returning the hug. "I take it I'm forgiven?" she said, voice muffled as her head was turned into his chest.

He chuckled and sat back a bit, releasing her. "Yes."

She gave him a wry grin. "Whoopie."

The smile wasn't the usual flash of brightness in her face; somehow it highlighted the circled under her eyes, the sickly pallor to her skin. He reached up and cupped her face with one hand, staring into her eyes. Tired, tired eyes. "You need to rest, Viola," he said softly.

She glanced down but didn't pull away from his touch. "I'm fine, we've been busy."

He sighed, becoming exasperated. "How long since you've really slept?"

"I said I'm fine-"

"How long?"

Silence. A sigh of defeat.

"A couple days," she admitted finally. She looked back into his eyes. He was taken aback by the raw fear and exhaustion there. "I just can't," she said quietly. "I- I have dreams. Awful, awful dreams, and it's like if I fall asleep I'll never wake up-"

The words themselves combined with the fragility- rare and unexpected- in her voice seemed to reverberate to the core of his being. Without thinking, he drew her back into his arms; a rather pointless gesture, but he had the sudden desire to hold her and keep her safe.

"I think…I may understand, a little," he said softly, absently beginning to stroke her hair. She curled into him, and he realized- perhaps for the first time fully- how small she was. "A while ago, there was- an accident, I guess you might say. When I…recovered, I found sleep to be a horror rather than a refuge. It felt as though I was slipping away, and I didn't know if I would come back."

She tilted her head back to look at him, eyes wide. A flash of recognition shot between them, almost imperceptible but definitely there. "What happened?" she asked quietly.

So he told her of his last great adventure, the one that had ended in his death (though perhaps not on quite as permanent a basis as one might assume). She listened, silent and staring, the whole time he talked. Her only reaction was the occasional tightening of her grip on his arm.

He finished, and for a moment they simply sat there. Then she leaned forward and up in a sudden burst of movement and pressed a kiss to his lips. Before he quite had time to react, she had thrown her arms around his neck and turned her face into his shoulder.

"I'm glad you're a genius," she said, squeezing tight. "If you weren't I might not have met you."

His chuckle as he held her was only slightly bitter. "Ah, but am I really me? This is technically not my body you know."

She pulled back enough to look him in the face and said firmly, "Yes it is. No questions asked. Okay, fine, it's you're second body. But it's still you- _you're _still you."

The utter conviction in her tone seemed to spread through him like a wave of pleasant heat. He slipped his hand to the back of her head, burying his fingers in her hair, and drew her forward for a kiss. She responded eagerly, lips parting slightly under his as she tilted her head back. He stood slowly, pulling her with him, never breaking the connection.

There was something different about this kiss, something he couldn't identify. It was hot and shivery and strange and wonderful all at the same time. His hands dropped to her waist, pulling her against him, and she made a small noise- a sort of gasp- against his mouth.

Then Rosie barked- loudly- and they leapt apart.

For a moment they stood staring at each other. He noticed her chest was rising and falling quite rapidly, then realized his own breathing was heavy. After an endless second, she looked to the dog and said, "Alright, alright, we're leaving. Sorry, girl."

Rosie grumbled and curled around her now dozing pups.

"Come on," Viola said quietly, moving to the door, "Rosie doesn't want us scaring her pups."


End file.
